Few creatures have inspired people’s imagination as much as the horse. Stone Age cave paintings preserve it in lively colour. Many deities are depicted on horseback, some even in equine form. The winged steed Pegasus brought thunder and lightning to Zeus as insignia of his power, and in reward was immortalized as a constellation in the heavens.
The wondrous mane and tail of a horse are not just naturally beautiful but also able to withstand the elements. Towards the end of the 18 th century, horsehair began to enjoy a high status as an elegant material for chair coverings. At first it was woven exclusively by hand, but in 1872 the first mechanical loom for the coveted material was constructed.
Its natural properties and the difficulty of processing mean that horsehair is still used for extravagant furnishings and luxurious fashion accessories.
So as to create the filigree pattern of the Pen of the Year 2009, the hairs first have to be carefully selected for colour and uniform thickness. Then roughly 70 hairs are woven individually for each centimetre of fabric. That is extremely time-consuming. Hair by hair, a weave comes about with changing texture, light and dark, that contrasts so excitingly with the cool platinum-plated metal parts of the pen – so that each one brings out the finest nuances in its own way. Every horsehair fountain pen is an absolutely unique work of art!
The Pen of the Year 2009 represents an exclusive and individual sense of writing. Carefully ‘run in’ by hand, the 18-carat bicoloured gold nib is available in the widths M, B and F. The platinum-plated end cap protects the knob for the plunger mechanism, on which each pen is individually numbered.
On request, a pen can be specially made from the tail hairs of your own horse. Please contact us for details.
