Historical Fountain Pens: the collection dedicated to Lorenzo the Magnificent

A Florentine collection

When one speaks of collector’s pens, one’s thoughts immediately turn to limited editions. These beautiful boxes that hold real writing treasures and unique pieces are true symbols of luxury and elegance. The most coveted of all are the historical fountain pens that have marked, and sealed, some of the most important moments in our history and passed through the hands of high-profile personalities.

Il Magnifico Green Marble limited edition fountain pen with its harmonious shapes and silvery green shades, is the perfect result of Visconti’s fascination for history and illustrious historical figures. The collection, now in its fifth edition, is synonymous with refinement, class and elegance, without of course neglecting quality and functionality.

The collection exalts Florence and its beauty with every little one of its details, and succeeds in doing so thanks to its clean, defined lines, precious raw materials and fine decorations.

The collection inspired by Lorenzo il Magnifico

The historical figure that most inspired this elegant collection is Lorenzo Il Magnifico, the best known and most admired exponent of the Medici dynasty and the true protagonist of Florence’s most prosperous period. His great passion for art, culture, humanism and philosophy made him a symbol of the Renaissance man who, because of his virtues, was able to give his dynasty and his city a leading role in the troubled centuries of the Renaissance.

The prince without a crown, as Lorenzo de’ Medici was called, maintained important friendships with leaders of the city’s cultural life such as Agnolo Poliziano and Pico della Mirandola. Under his patronage, the work of artists of the calibre of Sandro Botticelli, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci flourished. Lorenzo de Medici was not only a great patron, but also a passionate poet who wrote numerous collections full of romantic sonnets and bucolic texts, including the famous Canzone di Bacco. This man of great intelligence skilfully used his genuine love of art to his own advantage. In fact, his wide promotion of artists and men of letters made Florence the cradle of the Italian Renaissance.

In honour this important Florentine character who contributed so much to the greatness and prosperity of our city, we created the Il Magnifico collection. The Green Marble limited edition captures in pen form, the colours and shapes Florence’s art and architecture, and evokes the Renaissance ideals based on the rediscovery of classicism that brough the society of the time away from the darkness of the Middle Ages towards the light of rebirth.

Historical fountain pens: a compendium of precious materials and classic decorations

The distinctive octagonal shape that characterises the pens in the Il Magnifico Green Marble collection are freely inspired by the splendid one of the Baptistery of San Giovanni.

A closer look at the Baptistery and most other Renaissance Florentine buildings will quickly show how many stand out for their green and white marble decorative elements. Leaving nothing to chance, the elegant writing instruments in this collection are made of a precious Italian marble with light and delicate shades. Verzino marble is quarried in Frabosa, in the province of Cuneo, and impresses with its extraordinary grey-green hues and broad versatility. The light and delicate greenish veins gently creep into the pure white of the stone, creating a natural marble of great value which takes great skill and experience to select and carve. This precious and sophisticated pen celebrates the sumptuousness of a city that is a veritable open-air museum both in shape and colour.

For the metalwork of this exclusive object, an aged 925 sterling silver finish was chosen to give the instrument an evocative old-world look. The silver components are finely chiselled with a motif depicting the quintessential symbol of Florence: the lily, with a decoration that runs all along the cap and is also echoed in the blind cap.

The palladium-coloured nib comes in different sizes, from the extra fine, with its delicate ink trail, to the stub, for a sharper, more evident stroke. The pen features the Power Filler filling system, a bayonet closure and the iconic Ponte Vecchio clip.

By choosing the Il Magnifico Green Marble fountain pen, you opt for an object that is the fruit of skilled and expert hands that transform precious materials into unique masterpieces. A pen that evokes the great splendour of Renaissance Florence, the sinuous shapes of the city’s monuments, and the harmonious proportions of the art of the time. A must-have item for anyone who wants to treasure a collector’s fountain pen with exclusive aesthetics and deep historical and cultural ties.