Raffaello 500th Anniversary
Genio Creativo
Five centuries after his death, the genius of Raphael continues to dazzle the world. The tenth instalment in our esteemed Genio Creativo series is the most precious of all. Raphael’s astonishing vision is the subject of five very special creations: each a pronouncement of Italian virtuosity.
His paintings hang in the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions and in the spectacular frescoes of the Vatican Museum’s Raphael Rooms. He was as popular as he was prolific; and although his life was brief, the artistic legacy of Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino shines eternal. Exceptional ability deserves an exceptional tribute.
The most exclusive techniques of high-craft have been used for the Raffaello collection. Alongside da Vinci and Michelangelo, Raphael’s virtuoso talent laid a lasting foundation for Italian artistic and artisanal leadership. It is this energy that underpins Montegrappa’s own pursuit of beauty, and our decision to use the most exclusive of appointments to honour his influence.
For the first time, handcrafted micro-brush painting features on a Montegrappa limited edition. This most luxurious of treatments is ordinarily reserved for private commissions. But for this most extraordinary edition, Atelier artist, Alessandra Malesan, recreates five of Raphael’s most admired works with painstaking accuracy.
| Intricate sterling silver cylinders use complex geometry from Raphael’s School of Athens fresco to frame reproductions of Self-Portrait, Madonna of the Meadow, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Sistine Madonna, and Madonna della Seggiola. Only five, individually numbered examples of each motif will be made, matched to its own celluloid colour, and elaborated with silvercraft that captures ornamentations from the Vatican’s Stanza della Segnatura. A finial vermeil rosette is a seal worthy of the Prince of Painters. |
Each is a work of art, incorporated into a fountain pen of unsurpassable quality. An 18K gold nib is engraved with Raphael’s cameo, and supported by an ebonite feeder and Montegrappa’s patented piston feed.
Viewed from any angle, they are, quite simply, a consummate statement of Italian savoir faire.
