As part of its Writers Edition this time Montblanc honors an icon of French literature and culture – Victor Marie Hugo. The edition is inspired in many details by Victor Hugo’s novel and by Notre-Dame. Also, the company’s artists chose to comprise elements of Hauteville House, Hugo’s elegant home in Guernsey.
There are four Gothic-inspired editions within the writing instrument collection, and each fountain pen is fitted with an 18-karat gold nib decorated with an engraving of a gargoyle reminiscent of Notre-Dame de Paris.
Montblanc Writers Edition Homage to Victor Hugo Writers Edition 9800, made of black precious resin with platinum-coated fittings, is dedicated to this literary genius whose life and works shaped the French nation. The edition is inspired in many details by Victor Hugo’s novel and by Notre-Dame. The cap is decorated with gothic arches in relief, and the end of the clip, which is shaped like the clapper of a bell, recalls the bell ringer Quasimodo and the bells of Notre-Dame. Victor Hugo’s signature is engraved on the cap. This edition is limited ton 9,800 pieces.
Montblanc Writers Edition Homage to Victor Hugo Limited Edition 1831 features the cap and barrel decorated with gothic arches and a rosette on the cap is an homage to the rose window of Notre-Dame. The end of the clip, which is shaped like the clapper of a bell, recalls the bell ringer Quasimodo and the bells of Notre-Dame.
The cone of the Limited Edition 1831 is decorated with an engraved trefoil frieze, which is also part of the architecture of Notre-Dame. The shape of the cone, with a single chain link at the end, recalls the posts to which Quasimodo was chained. The yellow lacquer on the bottom of the cone is the reference to the yellow prisoners passport given to him. An engraving of the line ‘Chaque homme dans sa nuit s’en va vers sa lumière’(“Every man in his night goes to his light”) from Les Contemplations on the cap top symbolises the idea of redemption. The cap top is also crowned by the Montblanc emblem in mother-of-pearl. In honour of the year of the publication of Hugo’s novel Notre-Dame de Paris (1831), the edition is limited to 1,831 pieces.
Montblanc Writers Edition Homage to Victor Hugo Limited Edition 83 takes on the more personal side of Victor Hugo, taking inspiration from his Hauteville House and when he was dabbling in watercolours as a painter. It’s decked out in solid gold, with transparent washes of blue that echoes the skies over the Hauteville House. The writer’s initials are inscribed on the cap, similarly to the engravings on the wood paneling of the house’s Salon Chinois. This edition is limited only to a number of 83 pens.
Montblanc Writers Edition Homage to Victor Hugo Limited Edition 8 is makes up one of Montblanc’s rarest in the Writers Edition collections. The central Rosace is enhanced using the tedious pliqué-a-jour enameling technique, done in different shades of red enamel. The surface is reminiscent of the miniature stained-glass windows, while 3D gargoyles on either side of the cap create an elegant and elaborate look. The Montblanc emblem is fashioned out of mother-of-pearl, and fittings in Au750 solid yellow gold are embellished with brilliant-cut diamonds. As you can infer from the name, this edition is limited to only 8 pieces.