The
latest in Namiki's series of Maki-e artwork pieces inspired by the animal
kingdom is the Shark. It's immediately obvious of course, since this isn't
a delicate, subdued pen. The sharks practically leap off the cap and barrel.
Given that said cap and barrel happen to be Emperor size, that's a lot
of leaping going on!
Namiki is famous for their Maki-e artwork. Many of their pens are among the most sought after modern limited editions. Given the quality of the Maki-e work, that's no surprise. One very brief look at the Shark leads me to believe that this pen will quickly join that group of sought after editions. The combination of subject matter and workmanship (and that huge Emperor size pen!) leave you feeling quite impressed.
The Maki-e work is done by the master Maki-e artist Masato Sato. The image of the Shark is achieved using the Shishiai-Togidashi Maki-e technique. This is considered to be the most difficult of Maki-e techniques, requiring great skill. Additional layers are added to the design to raise portions above the surface, the resulting work is then burnished to create a three dimensional effect. The difficulty lies in being able to burnish both the flat and raised layers simultaneously.
The surrounding waves are created by the Bokashi Maki-e technique, where gradations of gold powder and flakes are used, the design verges from sprinkled black in the center verging to almost solid gold dust at both the cap and barrel end. In addition, Raden highlights the eyes of the shark with an eerie greenish glow. Additional Raden work is applied to the background behind the figure of the shark, giving the scene additional rainbow highlights.
The pen itself is very large, it takes "oversize" a step beyond. The Emperor size Namiki dwarfs the Montblanc 149. Because of this, as well as the hefty price tag and relative rarity of this piece, it's unlikely that many of these pens will find themselves being inked up and used. However, they are certainly capable of being used. The nib is gigantic to match, but a very nice piece of work. A touch of flex, and on the sample we examined, a very fine tip, despite being marked as "medium".
With only 80 pieces being made, and a price tag of $10,000 (no, I didn't include an extra zero there, it's ten grand!) the Shark is going to be a "collector's piece". Considering the quality of the Maki-e work, the Emperor size, and the limited number of examples, it's tough to say that the price is too far out of line. For those of us who won't be buying one, of course, the price is academic. We can simply sit back and enjoy looking at it!
copyright 2004 William Riepl