What do you get when you cross an excellent pen manufacturer with a famous impressionistic painter? You get a pen that is truly a work of art! The Visconti Van Gogh series certainly does not disappoint it’s artistic and surreal roots.
This is the first post of my First Impressions sections, where I comment on the design and features of brand new pens I get!
I had the amazing opportunity to get the Visconti Van Gogh Pollard Willows pen, in an M nib. The pen comes in a very unique triangular box, whose lid open downwards. It’s an interesting design that I haven’t seen anywhere else. The black leatherette box is not very heavy, but isn’t feather light either. It definitely feels quite high quality! It also comes with a simple paper sleeve to protect the box, but the sleeve isn’t anything special.
Inside the box is the pen (obviously…), a cool brochure about the pen and collection, and also a very accurately reproduced copy of the painting the pen was based on. There is a small elastic strap securing the pen to the box which holds up well. There is no pocket or anything for the brochure so it just sits there.
Here’s the actual painting so you can see it in better resolution. Image credits to the Van Gogh Gallery
The pen itself actually is made of resin that mimics the colors used in the painting. You can clearly see the different shades of red, green, brown and white in the painting and in the pen. This theme carries on for the rest of the Van Gogh line. Since the pen is made of a resin, no two pens are exactly alike, so your concentration of colors may vary from mine.
This pen boasts a very cool magnetic cap. The cap just slides and snaps straight onto the barrel of the pen with barely any pressure. The magnet is quite strong, so I haven’t had the cap fall off, even with very vigorous shaking. Also, the clip is spring loaded so it opens and closes very easily. It is also quite sturdy and well built.
The pen comes out to 5.5” (or 14cm) closed, 6.125” (16cm) posted, and 4.875” (12.5cm) uncapped. The pen is not too heavy, nor too light. I find the weight to be quite nice actually.
The nib is quite intricately engraved and has the Visconti name and size declarations engraved deeply into the metal. The nib on this pen is 100% steel. I haven’t inked the pen yet, but a dry test on paper shows it to be quite smooth.
Lastly, here’s a glamour shot of the pen! The ink in the background is the Caran d’ache Chromatics Vibrant Green, to be featured in a review soon!
