Maki-e Fountain Pen Catalog
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The Asking Price for this pen is: $850 Up for Auction is a very seldom seen Pilot pen, the seirei-nuri maki-e pen. The Seirei Nuri design was first introduced for the Pilot Super pens in the mid 1950's, this pen here is a later Elite style pen from the 1960's. The Seirei-nuri style is typically found in one of two styles: either a cinnibar red lacquer base with gold feathering or a rich black base with the same gold feathering. Obviously this is the black design. If you have Lambreau's "Fountain Pens Of The World" book, you can see the red version of this same pen on page 366. In any maki-e book that you find, you will see this pen described as a dragonfly wing pattern. "Seirei" in Japanese refers to the Dragonfly family. The dragonfly is a symbol for power and victory and was a favorite crest for Samurai families. However, having a five-year-old son who loves to catch dragonflies, I was surprised to notice that the seirei design on these pens didn't match the wing patterns on my son's pets. I have done some research on this and have discovered that "seirei" today means dragonfly, however in ancient times it refereed to all four-wing flies, which also includes adult Ant lion's and Mayflies. The design most resembles the ant lion's wings, but it is close to the Japanese Mayfly as well. Both the adult Ant lion and Mayfly are described as Gossamer flies in Japanese literature. It was a favorite motif for haiku poets because these adult flies only live a few days in the adult stage. The do not eat or sleep, just make love and die. In the famous Japanese Epic, "The Tale of Genji" chapter 24 is entitled "The Gossamer Fly" where the fly is used as a metaphor for one of the female characters. I am rather sure that the designers of this lacquer style were thinking of the Mayfly and the idea of delicacy and not Dragonflies and the symbols of raw strength and victory. If you have the English version of Murakami's "Namiki and Lacquer Pens"book, turn to page 48 to see an early Pilot Capless pen in the red seirei design. There he describes this design this way "...The technique for representing thin dragonfly feathers with lacquer is called "Seirei nuri" but there is a suggestion of bewitching beauty as if this is a living creature with thin vermilion feathers. It is really a fascinating and beautiful design." That price is not written stone. If you have something for a full or partial trade, let's talk about it.
Any questions? Please send an e-mail to: rd@kamakurapens.com |
