Writers Edition Homage to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Limited Edition 8 Fountain Pen M

At the centre of the intellectual awakening of the 18th century was one man in particular whose written word has stood the test of time: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Polymath, giant of German literature, lawyer, government minister, theatre director as well as prodigious collector and naturalist, he was in every way a revolutionary, intent on pushing back the boundaries of perception and learning. The philosophical depth of Faust, the lyrical subtlety of his poetry and the breadth of scientific exploration behind his colour theory and botanical treatises were of epochal significance and testify in their variety and far-reaching influence to Goethe’s genius. As a poet and statesman, advisor, friend and lover, he left an indelible mark on the world around him and serves to this day as a source of inspiration and vision. With the support of the Klassik Stiftung Weimar and the Goethe National Museum it houses, Montblanc is dedicating its Writers Edition Homage to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Limited Edition 8 to this universal genius, focusing especially on his achievements as a scientist.The inspiration for the historical silhouette of the edition is taken from Goethe’s prized writing instrument with which he committed to paper all his knowledge, insights and the fruits of his seemingly boundless poetic imagination. Writing was his lifeblood. The largest edition of his complete works and writings currently comprises 40 volumes, containing around 3000 poems alone. His drama Götz von Berlichingen was published anonymously in 1773, but just one year later The Sorrows of Young Werther written in less than four weeks, catapulted the 25-year-old lawyer to overnight fame. His reputation did not go unnoticed in Weimar where he was later no longer only seen as a renowned poet and philosopher but also acted as a statesman and reformer of the economy and finance. But Goethe was reluctant to compromise when balancing his roles as poet and politician. Dissatisfied due to a feeling of creative stagnation, he decided to undertake a tour of Italy in 1786 – incognito. It was there that he felt a new sense of spiritual freedom unlike anything he had experienced in his homeland. He discovered the ancient treasures of Rome and natural phenomena he had previously been unaware of.During his 18-month tour, which he later described in his Italian Journey, Goethe climbed Vesuvius, still an active volcano, several times and collected a wealth of objects for his studies of nature, including a pine cone which he kept both as a wonder of nature itself and as a reminder of the antique four-metre high bronze pine cone in the Vatican. The modest beauty and harmony of its natural form is stunningly evoked in this edition, since cap and barrel are slightly tapered. The similarity is enhanced by the skeleton overlay milled into the solid Au 750 gold. With consummate skill, the master craftsmen at Montblanc have inserted inlays of ebony wood, white and pink mother-of-pearl, lapis lacquer and jasper lacquer into the skeleton overlay to symbolise Goethe’s rich collection of minerals and stones.One of Goethe’s most ambitious projects was his Theory of Colours, published in 1810. In its 1300 or so pages, he examined the phenomenon of colour in a way that differed fundamentally from established practices. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, he touched on a wide range of subjects, from physics to colour psychology, opening up an entirely new perspective on the essence of colour. It was his belief that colours existed only in the mind’s eye of the beholder and exerted a considerable influence on that individual’s emotions. Goethe’s Theory of Colours is represented not only in the overall colour scheme of the writing instrument but also in the band of lacquer inlays encircling the cone, with colours inspired by those Goethe observed during his experiments with glass prisms. His empiricalresearch in the field of optics is also honoured in the rock crystal inlaid between gold rings at the tapered end of the cone bearing his engraved signature. The bottom of the cone is granite, one of the hardest rocks known to man and the substance most prized by Goethe as evidence of the origin of the planet.Like the cone, the dome-shaped cap top is crafted from rock crystal framed in gold and crowned by the hand-engraved Montblanc emblem as well as a hand painted golden snake. The coiled snake motif is a reminder of the drinking glasses commissioned by Goethe in Karlsbad, with which he would demonstrate the astonishing effects of colour. The slightly curved shape of the cap, which resembles a chemist’s glass jar of former centuries, is a tribute to Goethe’s accomplishments as a scientist and collector. The clip in the shape of a leaf honours his studies in the field of morphology and specifically his proposition of an archetypal plant form. He even transposed this idea into verse in his didactic love poem ‘The Metamorphosis of Plants’. Goethe himself praised a series of lithographs by painter Eugène Delacroix, commissioned as illustrations for the French translation of the work. His depiction of Faust in his study is echoed in an elaborate scene embossed on the solid Au 750 gold nib, while the engraving of swirling lines on the solid, rhodium-coated Au 750 gold forepart is a nod to Goethe’s studies on optics and the cards he devised to illustrate them.