Visconti Judaic Bible - Review

[goodguy]

For the first time I am not sure how to start a review.

A pen with such a deep meaning to me but still is a pen a practical tool made to be used.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture013-11.jpg

 

The first thing that strikes you with this pen is its sheer size, this is a big heavy pen. Even next to my MB 149 it looks big.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture015-11.jpg

 

The pen has many old testament stories etched on it and it reminds me of bible classes I took back in the days when I was still young.

This work is exquisite, simply beautiful a true work of art.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture017-7.jpg

 

On the barrel you have Noah and the Ark, Abraham ready to sacrifice his first born, Moses with the tablets, David holding Goliat's head and Adam and Eve.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture018-5.jpg

 

On the cap is a picture of an ultra orthodox jew standing in front of the wailing wall or what is called in Hebrew the western wall which is the only remaining standing wall from the holly Jewish temple from 2000 years ago.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture019-4.jpg

 

On the blind cap you have written in Hebrew the first 2 words of each of the 10 commandments.

Remove the cap and here is a beautiful temple.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture020-5.jpg

 

Every aspect of this pen is showing a Jewish motif in a very beautiful and respectful way.

For me an boy born and raised in Israel this pen has a great meaning.

The fact this pen was given to me as a gift has made it even more important and it is now simply priceless for me.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture022-3.jpg

 

This pen has brought unbelievable amount of joy to me!!!

 

So as I said this is one big, hefty and heavy pen.

It is bottom heavy due to its filling mechanism.

The section is not too wide and is very comfortable for use.

The white section tends to show the ink as its tends to accumulate under the feed so a good rinse is needed once you store the pen away.

In the hand you can feel the weight and size of the pen but it is very pleasing to be used.

While smaller and lighter pens are more nimble and fast to write with this pen commands you to slow down a bit, not write in such a rush and gives a very pleasing experience.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture027-4.jpg

 

The nib is the same 18k standard nib I have on all my other Viscontis. Two tone very smooth wet and nicely responsive.

This pen came with a M nib and is simply smooth, juicy and fun.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture028-1.jpg

 

The filling mechanism is a classic Visconti Vacuum filler.

Remove the blind cap grab the temple then pull and out comes the metal rod then sink the section and push the rod back in and let the pen suck the ink.

Pen holds a nice amount of ink.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture029-1.jpg

 

Summery

 

I was dreaming of this pen since I saw it in pictures.

First its simply a beautiful pen, pictures don't do it justice is breath taking.

Secondly being a Jew this pen has a very deep meaning.

Beyond being beautiful this pen is a lovely user, holds a good amount of ink has a lovely smooth nib sits comfy in the hand but not a pen I would use all day for heavy school writing due to its size.

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture031-1.jpg

 

I was lucky enough that somebody (an angel) gave me this pen and I will always cherish it for all the reasons written above and use it lovingly.

 

Thank you

 

PS- Tzutzik said he thinks of converting after he saw how beautiful this pen is :meow:

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture004-12.jpg

 

http://i516.photobucket.com/albums/u330/alfa170a/Picture001-18.jpg

Edited October 24, 2010 by goodguy

[WendyNC]

Thank you for a lovely review and great pictures. Enjoy the pen in health and happiness.

[pmsalty]

Nice, nice, and more nice. Thanks for sharing.

PMS

[dedalian]

Heck I might consider converting for one of those.

[Trom]

Very nice indeed.

 

The temple looks more like the Dome of the Rock on the mount or the St Peter's of Rome and the Capitol Building House in Wash. DC, but maybe it's all the same anyway

[RMN]

Pfui... That is some present....

Who gave it to you? Well, no, that is probably too personal a question. But one always thinks in cases like that: perhaps I can learn how to go about getting a present like that. For now I would like to be presented a Conway Stewart Plumage Mandarin... With an IM nib.... Santa are you listening?

 

Anyway, a great gift, especially for someone who really can appreciate it.

 

enjoy

 

D.ick

[Ghost Plane]

I use Herbin inks [NOT the saturated 1670] in my light colored Visconti such as the Romanica to avoid staining. They rinse much easier and don't show so much through the section.

 

Didn't you know? Cats are Baha'is since they love humans of all faiths. :meow:

[Geoff V]

Heartiest congratulations! Whoever gave you that magnificent pen was obviously making a heartfelt gesture! If I ever become wealthy, I'm going to buy my wife one of these. The only problem is that it's almost the same size and weight as her! :roflmho:

[dnb]

I am very happy for you! That is one beautiful piece of scripture! The temple? What a terrific concept. I get the feeling that the plunger is the rod beneath the temple anchoring Judaism firmly and deeply into the core of the earth. Congratulations. Use it in good health. La Chaim!

[goodguy]

I get the feeling that the plunger is the rod beneath the temple anchoring Judaism firmly and deeply into the core of the earth.

 

La Chaim!

What a beautiful way to look at it

 

Thank you תודה

[Scribero ergo sum]

That's just about the coolest thing ever. As much as I love a nice gezunta pen, this one's even better.

 

tnuzeG yaZ.

 

; )

 

(Zay Gezunt... from right to left)

[Trooper]

Beautiful pen. It is very interesting. Jews and Christian are linked in our faith through the Old Testament - it is our common roots. Thank you for sharing this with us. Shalom!

Edited October 28, 2010 by Trooper

[mr. abulia]

Mazel Tov! As my bobbe used to say, use it well

[sentraser165]

The pen is beautiful except for one major flaw which absolutely ruins the pen for me. That is absolutely NOT either of the temples on the plunger. Neither of the first, nor the second temple in Jerusalem had a dome. That, ladies and gentlemen, is unmistakably the dome on the rock. For those unfamiliar, the dome on the rock is built on the place where Muslims believe that Mohammed ascended to heaven. That is also the same place where both temples stood and where Abraham was going to sacrifice Issac. Eschatologically, Jews believe this is also the site of the third temple upon the coming of the messiah. The dome of the rock is a concrete reminder of the fact that we Jews are in a non-ideal situation, to say the least. At the very least, you could simply say that the depiction of the dome on the rock has nothing what so ever to do with the Jewish bible (not to mention the fact that, again, it is a reminder that we are unable to perform Judaism to the greatest extent possible due to its existence). As such, this is a HUGE error on account of Visconti and shows that they had absolutely no expertise on Judaism while designing this pen and made no effort to even ask a simple question. All of the stories depicted could have just come from a christian translation, which by definition, lacks the basic knowledge of Jewish tenants. Sorry, I had to get that off my chest. Please feel free to disagree or comment.

[Ghost Plane]

Art is subjective. I doubt the Grail on the Christian version bears much resemblance to any cup Jesus used for the last Seder. But it's symbolic and fits under the blind cap. At least your faith gets a pen. Be thankful yours was recognized.

[Trom]

Art is subjective. I doubt the Grail on the Christian version bears much resemblance to any cup Jesus used for the last Seder. But it's symbolic and fits under the blind cap. At least your faith gets a pen. Be thankful yours was recognized.

 

Art is, but believers think their own religion is not, but if you are objective you know that religion is very subjective.

[sentraser165]

I made this point in my comment, but I will reiterate: even leaving religion out of it and just focusing on historical fact, neither temple had a dome. Ask any archaeologist or historical scholar of the period. Heck, you could even just google it! The Muslim religion did not even come into existence until 500 years or so after the destruction of the second temple. To associate an Islamic building with the Jewish temple is just plain incorrect. I don't care what your beliefs are on religion, you must agree with that. I most certainly agree that art is subjective. You are preaching to the choir there. I never commented on how Visconti designed the barrel of the pen (which was very beautifully done). There are an infinite number of ways one could visualize the narratives in the Hebrew Bible, hence the inherent artistic subjectivity involved in designing a pen as a canvas of those narratives. What is NOT subjective, however, is history. If someone made a pen chronicling the narratives of the Christian Bible and there was a picture of Mohammed crucifying Jesus, I would have the same issues with the pen that I have with this one (I assume that you would also). If someone made a pen chronicling the narratives of the Quran and all of the pictures were set in Antarctica, I would have the same issues with the pen that I have with this one (I assume that you would also). These examples make no historical sense, and neither does the dome of the rock on a pen celebrating the Hebrew Bible. I want to keep the post hereafter on the pen and not a discussion on history and/or religion, so if you want to comment, please feel free to PM me.

[Trom]

I made this point in my comment, but I will reiterate: even leaving religion out of it and just focusing on historical fact, neither temple had a dome. Ask any archaeologist or historical scholar of the period. Heck, you could even just google it! The Muslim religion did not even come into existence until 500 years or so after the destruction of the second temple. To associate an Islamic building with the Jewish temple is just plain incorrect. I don't care what your beliefs are on religion, you must agree with that. I most certainly agree that art is subjective. You are preaching to the choir there. I never commented on how Visconti designed the barrel of the pen (which was very beautifully done). There are an infinite number of ways one could visualize the narratives in the Hebrew Bible, hence the inherent artistic subjectivity involved in designing a pen as a canvas of those narratives. What is NOT subjective, however, is history. If someone made a pen chronicling the narratives of the Christian Bible and there was a picture of Mohammed crucifying Jesus, I would have the same issues with the pen that I have with this one (I assume that you would also). If someone made a pen chronicling the narratives of the Quran and all of the pictures were set in Antarctica, I would have the same issues with the pen that I have with this one (I assume that you would also). These examples make no historical sense, and neither does the dome of the rock on a pen celebrating the Hebrew Bible. I want to keep the post hereafter on the pen and not a discussion on history and/or religion, so if you want to comment, please feel free to PM me.

 

 

Who cares. Let the religious people fight amongst each other.

[jonro]

Thanks for the review. That's a beautiful and substantial pen. I'm sure the events depicted on the body provide some inspiration while writing with it.

[duna]

I don't know how Visconti developed the notion of the design of the small temple under the blind cap, but the clearly recognizable design of the Dome of the Rock is extremely bold and clever to my (ignorant) eyes. For hundreds of years westerners had this ancient building in their eyes when thinking about the Temple. The Templar Knights, to name some, used this magnificent building for their seal and very name, thus this is a well known 'mistake'. Moreover, the Dome is on top of the Mount Moriah, thus it is probably the closest thing on earth to the destroyed second Temple, along the Wall (which is correctly pictured on the cap). The Dome of the Rock is house to the Foundation Stone, one of the holiest sites on earth in Judaism. People pray in front of the Wall on the direction of the Foundation Stone. Have a look to ancient Jewish religious drawings on

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_of_the_Rock

the design of the small temple under the blind cap appears to be derived from one such drawing. Thus, there are many historical and actual links (for every monotheistic religion) to this mosque - a well-known symbol of the lost Temple.

 

By the way, the Caliph had the building partially inspired by the byzantine Holy Sepulchre church ... it is difficult to extricate a holy place from another, it appears.