A Unique Work of Art
The fruit of the meeting of two traditions, of the coming together of two ideas, of collaboration between the goldsmith and the artist. Each of Makie creations is a work of art.
These lighters were only made to order when the customer would prepay and then Dupont would manufacture a Soubreny lighter or Line “D” model in gold trim and black Chinese lacquer. Then the lighter travelled to Japan where the Master-craftsmen applied a special lacquer with 24-carat gold powder, eggshell or mother-of-pearl in a traditional Maki-E technique: layer after layer, polishing and re-applying until the lighter is complete.
Each lighter took about 3-4 months to finish – many hours of handwork. The best part is that these are unique because they are made by hand and there are always subtle differences in the details.
Soubreny Lighter / Maki-E Horse
S.T. Dupont Soubreny Maki-E “Horse” Lighter is made of black Chinese lacquer and gold trim – this noble animal on the lighter is created in traditional decorative techniques.
These lighters were retired from S.T. Dupont’s catalogue in 2001. After that the customer could order these lighters to be made for until 2003, when they were discontinued.
S.T. Dupont Soubreny line was produced in one size, 38 x 14 x 47 mm.
Maki-E / Urushi Art Technique
Maki-E is a distinctive Japanese lacquerware technique that is said to have developed around 1200 years ago. It involves using a fine brush to paint a picture with lacquer on the surface of a vessel, and then sprinkling gold powder on the surface before it dries, creating a design.
The word maki- means to sprinkle and e- means picture. There are various styles including Togidashi Maki-E, Hira Maki-E, and Taka Maki-E.
Besides creating designs with gold or silver powder atop a lacquer background Maki-E can also be used in conjunction with other techniques such as “raden” (decorative seashell work), gold and silver inlay, and “rankaku” (eggshell inlay).
