Sugar magnate Sir Henry was one of the most important industrialists in the Victorian era of Great Britain and perhaps the greatest art lover and patron of his time. During his life Tate shared the works of art he owned with the general public. The Tate Gallery in London with paintings from his unique private collection opened in 1897 and formed the basis for a network of five world-famous galleries which keep the cultural legacy of Sir Henry Tate alive to the present day.
The Patron of Art Edition “Sir Henry Tate”, limited to 4810 fountain pens, is characterised by clear, tectonic shapes. The inspirational source is the neoclassical architecture of Tate Britain, the museum financed by Sir Henry Tate. The geometrical lines of the platinum-plated body and the decoration of the cap rings reflect characteristic elements in the style of the museum building. In elegant contrast, the cap and body feature red lacquer guilloche inlays and the cap head bears an ivory-coloured Montblanc star.
Through the lines of the pen’s body with the guilloched lacquer intarsias and the decoration of the cap rings, the Patron of Art Edition Sir Henry Tate is reminiscent of the architecture of the London Tate Gallery. The retractable 18-carat gold nib is adorned with the engraving of a sugar cane plant – the raw material which was the springboard for the success of Sir Henry Tate as one of the greatest industrialists and art patrons of his time.
Launch 2006
Limitation:
Fountain Pens 4,810 (platinised body)
Fountain Pens 888 (body made of 750 yellow gold, diamond-set cap ring)