Visconti Brunelleschi Limited Edition Fountain Pen

Visconti is renown for creative and innovative pen craftsmanship, and inspired by the success of the Homo Sapiens series, Visconti wondered if it was possible to produce a pen made from the material that best represents Florence: the Cotto Fiorentino Terracotta. The result is the astounding new Visconti Brunelleschi limited edition pen. A pen that pays homage to the great Renaissance architect Filippo Brunelleschi, who designed and engineered the dome of the Florentine cathedral – The Duomo – and is the largest structure in the world made of Cotto Fiorentino Terracotta.

The Brunelleschi limited edition pen is an oversized, eight-sided pen accurately reflecting the shape of the cathedral dome. Weighing roughly 45 grams (the actual Dome is 45 meters wide) it is the perfect weight for daily use. Its shape, like that of the Visconti Divina, is in the ideal proportion based on Leonardo da Vinci’s Divine Proportion, which makes the size of the cap 0.618 the size of the barrel. The pen’s material, a Cotto Fiorentino terracotta resin composite, has a dark brick color and many of its own special characteristics. The color is similar to the red ebonite so dearly cherished by collectors of vintage pens. Unlike ebonite, however, the terracotta compound is extremely stable, it does not dull with age and it is considerably more shock-resistant. The ring on the pen barrel is decorated with an engraving of the Cathedral’s windows surrounding the dome.

The pen features Visconti’s flexible 23kt palladium Dreamtouch nib available in XF, F, M, B, BB and Stub widths and fills with a high vacuum power filler. The pen’s lock system, a Visconti patent, is the well-known Hook Safe Lock method that allows the user to close the pen by rotating it by only 20°, thus making it almost impossible to open the cap by accident. All trims are made from rose vermeil gold  and the Brunelleschi is limited to 388 numbered pieces. Each pen is beautifully presented in a collector’s set including a glass inkwell with ink, a matching Visconti traveling ink well also made from terracotta, eye dropper  and a terracotta tile that says Brunelleschi all packaged in a luxury eco-leather box.