Visconti Forbidden City HRH Limited Edition Fountain Pen

The Forbidden City in Beijing, China, was the legendary home to the Chinese imperial family for more than 500 years, and it is so named because it was closed to all but the royal family and those in their service. Today, the elaborate complex of palaces and gardens - one of the greatest achievements in Chinese architecture and culture - is open to provide inspiration for all, which lately includes more than one penmaker. One of these tributes to the Forbidden City, by Italian Visconti, turns conventional overlay inside out.Designed by Visconti president Dante Del Vecchio and designer M. Carla Benedetti, the Visconti Forbidden City was seven years in development, and Del Vecchio reveals, "The final result has almost nothing to do with the initial drafts, discussions and prototypes."The most unusual feature of the pen is its resin overlay. Rather than a typical metal overlay on resin, Del Vecchio instead turned things inside out with resin overlaying a finely engraved metal base. The des