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$6.95US $7.95CAN
APRIL 2013
The Universe of Writing Culture
celebrating the regal
ROMANOVSwith Phoenix Lacquer Art
mining the past withBritish heritage brand
ONOTOfamous names andpens come together at
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remembering Russian royaltyCommemmorating the Romanov dynasty 400years after its ascent to power
the future is hereA look at the pen show scene through prodigaleyes brings a revelation.
a gel of an ideaFree-flowing broad gel ink refills offer a uniquewriting experience.
heritage penmakingBritish brand Onoto builds on the successes ofits past.
from ACME with loveACME’s collaborations result in smart andaffordable designer pens.
3D printing comes to pendomThe Dutch company Pjotr brings a futuristictechnology to the art of penmaking.
main squeezeThe elegant bulb-filler comes into its own inPart II of Richard Binder’s exploration.
VOLUME 26, NUMBER 3
on the cover: PhoenixLacquer Art Nicholas II andAlexandra Feodorovna fromthe Romanov Collection
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departmentsWHAT’S HOT NOW
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imhoa father’s gift
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Iwas heartened to learn that
Indiana state senator JeanLeising hasn’t given up herquest to restore cursive writing
in the state’s curriculum. PW readerswill remember that in 2011, Indianabecame the forty-first state (now thereare forty-five) to drop cursive as arequirement, leaving it up to individualschools to decide whether to teach it.
As I searched for more informa-tion about the status of this bill, Ilearned that a similar effort has justbeen announced in North Carolina.
These recent events are encour-aging, but what has led so manystates to remove cursive in the firstplace? They have adopted theCommon Core, a set of standardsmeant to ensure that students in theUnited States are meeting the samestandards regardless of the state inwhich they live. I spent quite a bit oftime looking through the CommonCore requirements(corestandards.org), and I saw noth-ing on the actual production ofhandwriting of any kind, printing orcursive. The standards for writing areall—even from kindergarten—focused on composition.
Handwriting instruction wassimply left out. To get it back as arequirement would mean getting itinto the Common Core require-ments, adding a handwriting require-ment at the state level as Indiana andNorth Carolina are attempting to door simply rejecting the CommonCore altogether. I learned that my
own state, Texas, has not yet adoptedit, and you can bet I’m going to bewriting some letters—and sendingreprints of the research we’ve pub-lished on the benefits of handwriting.
We have a garden of beautifulpens to show you in this issue, includ-ing the stunningly detailed cover pens,Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovnaby Phoenix Lacquer Arts. We also lookinside the venerable British brandOnoto and the Hawaii-based ACMEStudio, which has brought some of thegreatest names in design and architec-ture to pens. And you’ll read about aDutch maker who is applying 3Dprinting technology to luxury pens.
Richard Binder completes hisexamination of bulb-filling fountainpens, and contributing editorsDeborah Basel, Julian H. Kreeger andBarry Robinson all weigh in: Basel in acontinuation of her series on calligra-phers, featuring Harvest Crittenden;Kreeger on the nibs of Sheaffer, whichis celebrating its centennial this year;and Robinson on broad gel refills. Ifyou’re not already a fan of gel refills,we think the ones he mentions willwin you over.
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GoodNews
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It’s staggering to think of thechanges Russia has undergonethroughout history. From a firm
tsarist rule to Communist autocracy,from serfdom to free-market, frominsular to imperial, Russia has under-gone transformation like few othercountries. Now, more than twentyyears removed from Communist rule,Russia is once again a different place,and the Russian people are able toappreciate their history more than
ever. And this year’s 400th anniversaryof the ascension of the Romanovs isnow a focal point of that appreciation.
This year’s celebration wouldhave been unthinkable just a genera-tion or two ago. As Inna Kaufmanputs it, “Who would have thoughtsome forty or fifty years ago that wewould celebrate 400 years ofRomanov history?” Kaufman, anative of Russia now based inAmsterdam, is principal of the Inna
Kaufman Gallery. In 2010, she beganPhoenix Lacquer Art, which subse-quently took the collector world bythe proverbial storm with brilliantlydetailed Russian Miniature artworkapplied to Visconti-manufacturedpens. Now, with three years of pen-making success behind her, Kaufmanembarks on arguably her most ambi-tious project yet, a pen series titledRomanov 400 Years Jubilee, part ofthe Russian Empire Collection.
RegalPHOENIX LACQUER ART
The nine-pen Russian Empire Romanov400 Years Jubilee set, hand-paintedwith portraits of all the Romanov tsars
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LineBY NICKY PESSAROFF
UNVEILS THE ROMANOV SERIES.
RUSSIAN ROYALTYThe Romanov tsars portrayed in thelimited edition pen set are, from left,Mikhail I Feodorovich (reigned 1613–45),Peter the Great (r. 1696–1725), Catherinethe Great (r. 1762–96), Paul I (r.1796–1801), Alexander I (r. 1801–25),Nicholas I (r. 1825–55), Alexander II (r.1855–81), Alexander III (r. 1881–94),Nicholas II (r. 1894–1917).
Some brilliant, others terrible,each fascinating, the Romanovs ruledRussia until 1917, when the lastRussian tsar, Nicholas II, was deposedby Bolshevik revolutionaries. Thedynasty began with another powerstruggle that ended when sixteen-year-old Mikhail Romanov was proclaimedtsar of Russia in 1613. Romanovsruled Russia with autocratic power forthe next 300 years, turning the provin-cial kingdom into a world power in
the process. Simply put, the Romanovsmade history.
Twenty-odd years since Soviet ruleand 100-odd beyond tsarist rule, timesand attitudes have changed in favor ofthe Romanovs. Once vilified by theCommunist party, whose main organ-izing tenet was anti-tsarist feeling, thecurrent government gives theRomanov line the respect it deserves.“The Romanovs are considered animportant part of Russian history,”
Kaufman continues. “Most Russiansprobably have positive feelings towardthe name Romanov, although themajority would surely not have amonarchy back! But it’s safe to say thatthe general view of the Romanovs haschanged in a positive way.”
Phoenix Lacquer Art’s exclusiveseries of Romanov pens pays homageto the ruling family. Only five setshave been produced; each set includesnine hand-painted pens, and each pen
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features a miniaturized portrait of aRomanov tsar exquisitely detailed inthe tradition of the Russian miniatureart school of Fedoskino.
Russian miniaturism is almost asold as Russia itself. Its roots lie inChristian iconography. For centuries,artisans have made exquisitelydetailed portraits of the RussianOrthodox saints as well as biblicalscenes using a fastidious lacqueringprocess and bright colors to give theentire piece light. These miniatureworks of art were displayed in thegreatest churches as well as in thehumblest homes. With time, the iconsbecame recognized as works of art,and Russian miniaturism blossomedin both style and in form, with artistspainting peasant- and folktale–inspired scenes. Eventually, fourdistinct schools developed.
Since the late eighteenth century,the Fedoskino artistic tradition hasbeen known for its depiction ofRussian history and peasant life.Artists create a luminous halo effect byusing mother-of-pearl, gold leaf or sil-ver leaf in the background. It’s a strik-ing technique to apply to portraitminiatures. Each of the pens in the setfeatures a torso-length image of aRomanov in regal garb—based on hisor her official portrait—against abackground of finely textured gold. Acrown, painted on the pen’s cap, floatsabove each tsar’s head, and the blacklacquer at both ends of the pen isembellished with a diamond pattern insilver. Painted gold bands finish thepen, which resembles in its entirety asort of glowing column.
“The real point of this project hasalways been to portray nine tsars in
such a way that they would be easilyand individually recognizable, but atthe same time seen as a whole, aseries,” Kaufman says. It’s the back-ground that gives the set a cohesivefeeling; only the portraits change.Seeing the collection as a whole, allnine pens in a black ebony box that’sonly slightly less striking than the pensthemselves, gives one a feeling ofmajesty; it’s a regal collection.
A separate set of two pens in asimilar style honors Nicholas II andhis wife. Production of the RussianEmpire Nicholas II and AlexandraFeodorovna is limited to just ten sets,available directly through PhoenixLacquer Art or the company’s exclu-sive retail partners. The nine-penRomanov series is limited to five sets,which must be ordered directly fromPhoenix Lacquer Art.
The complete Russian EmpireRomanov 400 Years Jubilee set with itspresentation box; three views of theAlexander III pen
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The base of the Russian EmpireRomanov 400 Years Jubilee set is theVisconti Magnum fountain pen withVisconti’s power filler. The RussianEmpire Nicholas II and AlexandraFeodorovna set uses the same ViscontiMagnum or a large Japanese eyedrop-per-filled pen as its base. All the nibsare made by Bock of Germany. Whilethe bodies and mechanisms of the twosets ensure that these pens are finewriters, the emphasis here is on thequality of the art.
“The artists I select I’ve known formany, many years,” Kaufman says.“This particular artist is from theFedoskino school, and she specializesin realistic miniature paintings. Shestudied at the Fedoskino art school,and after years of hard work and study,she became an artist in her own right,widely respected for her portraits.”
These limited series took the artista full year to finish, and she has cap-tured the majesty of her subjects andtranslated the power of their portraits
onto the pens with amazing insight.The images manage to emphasize theregality of the individual tsars whilealso portraying them as fully human.Kaufman wouldn’t have it any otherway. This project is her means of hon-oring a part of Russian history shebelieves deserves celebration. “Thesecollections are about what we Russiansmutually share. This jubilee is amoment for all to remember, and wewant to share this celebration with any-one who enjoys the beauty of our artist’swork.” With such a limited edition run,the only problem Inna Kaufman andPhoenix Lacquer Art may encounter isdemand for more than five sets.
For more detail, including price infor-mation, telephone 31.654972488 or visitphoenixlacquerart.com.
NICKY PESSAROFF is a graduate ofthe MFA program in writing at NewMexico State University and a freelancewriter living in New Mexico.
The Russian EmpireNicholas II and AlexandraFeodorovna setabove—A nib from theseries and a detail of ahand-bellished crown.
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