PELIKAN MAKI-E GINKO & MAPLE LEAVES FOUNTAIN PEN, LIMITED EDITION. Barrel in Japanese lacquer and pigments. M nib in 18 Kts. gold and rhodium plated. Cartridge loading, screw cap. Pen signed by the artist. Limited edition of 88 copies. No box. Measurements: 14.4 cm. length; 17 mm. diameter. The exclusive piston fountain pen "Maki-e Ginko & Maple Leaves" is the winner of the 20th annual Readers Choice Award in the category "Best Urushi Arts Pen". This award is organised by the American magazine Pen World. Maki-e is a complex Japanese lacquer painting technique, renowned for its beauty and artistic mastery. In the process, the unique Japanese Urushi lacquer is applied to the fountain pen in several layers that are repeatedly polished. The design is then drawn with coloured lacquer on the surface. This technique is called Togidashi-Maki-e. In addition, the artist can mix charcoal powder and gold powder in the lacquer, so that the pattern of the design rises above the surface: If you slide your thumb over the paint, you can see the difference. This is the so-called Taka-Maki-e technique. For the Pelikan "Ginko & Maple Leaves" fountain pen model, the Maki-e artist has harmoniously combined both techniques. The "Ginko & Maple Leaves" fountain pen depicts traditional Japanese autumn motifs: shiny leaves that look as if they have just fallen from a tree whirling in the first autumn wind, with golden splashes of colour that show this magnificent season and the warm sunlight at its best. With decades of experience, the famous M1000 Souverän model is manufactured in Germany and decorated in Japan. The "Ginko & Maple Leaves" model is a masterpiece with a finely chiselled 18-karat gold nib accented with rhodium-plated decoration, in nib size M. Each pen is individually signed by the artist.