MEMENTO VERDI Montegrappa @Montegrappa1912 marks Giuseppe Verdi bicentennial with a limited edition pen series

MEMENTO VERDI

Montegrappa marks Giuseppe Verdi bicentennial

with a limited edition pen series

As Italy and the world all over celebrate this year Giuseppe Verdi’s bicentennial, Montegrappa, Italy's oldest manufacturer of luxury writing instruments, have marked this momentous occasion with a limited edition pen collection.

The ‘Bicentenario di Giuseppe Verdi’ collection is a result of a close collaboration between Montegrappa, Giuseppe Verdi Foundation, the estemeed Superintendence of Teatro Regio in Parma and renowned Italian designer Maurizio Cavazzuti, and represents the apogee of craftsmanship, artistry and passion, paying homage to Verdi on his 200th birthday, and his exquisite operas.

“True beauty is recognizable in every language and land, and Giuseppe Verdi moved the world with his music, which is still ingrained in our popular culture today,” said Montegrappa CEO Giuseppe Aquila.

The musical genius of Verdi has endured time and his works - Rigoletto, Nabucco and Aida - have been the mainstay of opera companies worldwide for over a century, reaffirming his status as an operatic titan and one of the finest dramatists in history.

Much like Verdi’s operas, Montegrappa’s commemorative collection of writing instruments is also a thing of beauty!  

Let’s take a closer look. Each pen is turned from rods of black resin and is highlighted with rhodium plated trim. The cap is laser engraved with a portion of Giuseppe Verdi’s face on one side and his signature on the other.  The cap’s band features the anniversary date (1813-2013) on the front and the wording ‘Bicentenario’ at the back; Montegrappa’s logo, which is surrounded by the Italian ‘tricolore’ (flag); and the logo of the Teatro Regio di Parma which decorates the grip section of the pen. The fountain pen is fitted with a cartridge filling system and a rhodium plated 18K gold nib.

The number of pens crafted for this special Montegrappa limited edition is 1,813 (the number is the year of Verdi’s birth) of which 350 fountain pens, 650 roller balls and 813 twist-action ballpoint pens, and are priced from AED 2,165.

Paying tribute to Verdi’s much-loved operas is Montegrappa “Emozioni in Musica” collection which honours La Traviata, Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Il Rigoletto, the latter to be launched this October.

 The design of Il Rigoletto pen immediately recalls the attire of the traditional court jester, a harlequin pattern of red, along white and black diamond shapes. The body and the all-red cap are made of resin, with a mosaic effect. All trims are made of solid silver or solid gold, according to the model. The handmade black and red glass ‘murrina’ on top of the red cap was inspired by the puffy sleeves and pantaloons of a harlequin’s garb, while the pocket clip is styled in the manner of the jester’s footwear. For the ring encircling the body, Montegrappa’s artisans have etched a pattern to denote the type of belt worn by a jester.

Montegrappa’s Rigoletto limited edition consists of 1851 pens(the number is the year Il Rigoletto made its debut): 900 fountain pens and 900 rollerballs with sterling silver trim, 30 fountain pens and 21 roller balls with solid 18K gold trim.

Priced from AED 12,260, Il Rigoletto pens are launched in Dubai by the CEO of Montegrappa Italia Mr. Giuseppe Aquila in the presence of noted celebrities and VIP guests, on the 10^th of October 2013, at a special operatic concert, with gala dinner, held at Raffles Hotel Ballroom to celebrate the bicentenary of Verdi’s birth.

Like all Montegrappa limited edition series, the Giuseppe Verdi and Il Rigoletto pens are presented in a regal box, perfectly suited to house the opulent writing instrument.