Montblanc Jane Austen Fountain Pen

Few authors in literary history have had the ability to craft dialogue and bring characters to life as elegantly, ironically and astutely as British author Jane Austen. Montblanc has created the Writers Edition Homage to Jane Austen to celebrate one of English literature’s most famous authors. The fluting of a classical column embellishes the elegant sandstone-grey resin barrel, along with Jane Austen’s signature. The contrasting grey-blue cap references the type of double-collared Regency coat typically worn by gentlemen such as Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. Gold-coated rings on the barrel and platinum-plated fittings add finishing touches to the design.

The engraving of the Roman numerals XLIII on the cap ring is a reference to the chapter of the novel in which Elizabeth Bennet sees Mr Darcy’s estate for the first time. The title page of her novel Sense and Sensibility, published in 1811, merely declared the work to have been written ‘By a Lady’. This statement of authorship adorns the cap top of the Writers Edition Homage to Jane Austen Limited Edition, along with the Montblanc emblem. The silhouette of the writing instrument itself resembles a wax seal stamp. The clip is every bit as unusual as the cap. Shaped like a braided cord with a drawstring closure, it resembles that of a ‘reticule’, a type of bag used by women around 1800 to carry their powder, mirror and the indispensable pocket handkerchief. The only known silhouette of Jane Austen, which shows her delicate features, is immortalised as an artistic engraving on the handcrafted, rhodium-coated solid 18ct gold nib.