MONTBLANC 2017 The Water Dragon Signs & Symbols Limited Edition 88 Fountain Pen

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MONTBLANC 2017 The Water Dragon Signs & Symbols Limited Edition 88 Fountain Pen:
$16000.00

MONTBLANC Signs & Symbols The Water Dragon Limited Edition 88

Year: 2017 (second of the LE88 Dragon Series)

0, 8 carat Violet Amethyst, Brilliant cut

Limited Edition: 69/88 (a number whose allocation proves to be rather complicated)

Made in Germany

The concerned pen has been previously used and inked (purple ink).

It shows resulting wear marks (please refer to the attached photos for a clear illustration of this).

In particular, there are two small scratches on the barrel.

There are also handling scratches on the turning knob/cone, clip and the ends of the cap.

Patination to silver.

It ships in an attractive display box with illustrated outer box and matching papers(69/88). The white outer cardboard box is not included

Excerpt from the accompanying booklet:

None of the animals is so wise as the dragon.

His blessing power is not a false one. He can be smaller than small, bigger than big, higher than high, and lower than low.

Chinese scholar Lu Dian (1042-1102 A.D.)

Dragon lore around the world

Since ancient times, no other animal has fascinated mankind like the dragon. Although some form of dragon exists in the folklore of almost every world culture, each is unique to itself. There is the snake-lion hybrid creature of the Orient, the Egyptian gatekeeper to the afterlife, the nine-headed and winged Hydra of Greek mythology, the Assyrian-Babylonian sea dragon, the befeathered Mexican snake god Quetzalcoatl, and, perhaps best known of all, the many dragons of Chinese mythology. In contrast with most Western dragons, the East Asian dragon, in all its variations, never embodies a monstrous enemy that must be defeated. Rather, it is a positive creature with high spiritual power, which bestows luck, wealth, wisdom and peace on mankind.

The East Asian dragon - an ancient creature

Of all the mythical creatures found within the East Asian circle of cultures, the dragon is one of the oldest and most important. The world's most ancient depictions of this animal are the shell mosaics found on China's

Yellow River in a Yangshao grave dated to around 6,500 years ago. Given its standing as one of the four direction or miracle animals, the dragon has a prominent place in East Asian culture and life even today. According to the scholar Wang Fu from the Han Dynasty, the mystical dragon god carries the attributes of different animals: it has the head of a camel, the eyes of a daemon, the horns of a stag, the ears of a cow, the neck of a snake and the belly of a clam. It also has tiger feet, eagle talons and the scaley body of a fish. Its call sounds like two copper kettles banging together.

The dragon character

The character for 'dragon' can be traced as far back as 4,000 years ago, when it appears in the oracle bone script of the Shang period.

The simplified dragon pictogram from this era is one of only a few characters used consistently through all the phases of development in the written language, right up to the short form used today.

The character consists of two parts. The left part symbolises the head of the dragon; the right part symbolises its body. The character at the top left recalls the horn of the dragon, but was first described as the ceremonial hat of a shaman and then as the great crown of an emperor. The right part shows a long, four-legged body with a tail. The character doesn't only stand for the word dragon, it envisions the animal itself, its nature and its high rank.

Nine dragon sons - nine talents

In Chinese mythology, the 'nine sons of the dragon' symbolise nine different talents. They are found explicitly described for the first time as early as the Ming dynasty. The oldest dragon son is a great music lover and is frequently depicted on instruments. The battle-loving second son can be found on weapons of generals and royal guards. The adventure-seeking third son is honoured as a miraculous animal who can stop catastrophes. The fourth, known for making loud noises whenever it is struck, is depicted on bells. The fifth loves fire and smoke and is immortalised on incense holders.

The sixth resembles a turtle and is often found carrying heavy stone tablets. The seventh stands for justice, so its image is used on courts and prisons. The eighth son is the dragon of literature, often found decorating memorials as a symbol of knowledge. The ninth and final son, the steed of the rain god, likes to extinguish flames and is therefore placed on eaves as protection against fire.

The Water Dragon, ruling lakes and clouds

AIl Chinese dragons are water creatures who inhabit lakes, rivers and springs. Each of the world's four oceans is ruled over by a dragon king.

But the greatest water dragons live in the clouds, bringing rain so that the crops prosper and man is nourished.

Because of the importance of the cloud dragon, it was a symbol reserved exclusively for the Chinese emperor. The two famous Nine-Dragon Walls in Beijing each depict nine dragons (three times the yang number three) dancing in the clouds and playing with white pearls, a moon-like yin symbol. Though an essential element for life, water can also easily become dangerous. Dragons, therefore, are creatures to be handled with respect. In China there are many small temples and shrines built at springs, where sacrifices were made to the dragon of that spring so he would continue to provide fresh water. Just as there are many different breeds of animals, there are also various kinds of dragons, including water dragons or, more precisely, lake and pond dragons.

Small bodies of water are commonly named 'black dragon pond’ or 'white dragon pond', referring to the surface appearance of the water if, for example, a dark wood is reflected in it.

A water dragon's size and power is related to the size of the water it commands. In the oldest Chinese character dictionary, the Shuowen compiled in the year 100 AD, the character for the pond or lake dragon is defined as follows:

'A kind of dragon. When the number of fish in a pond reaches 3,600, he comes and is their leader.

Montblanc Signs & Symbols, The Water Dragon Limited Edition 88

Over the centuries, myths and legends depict the East Asian dragon in a multitude of forms with numerous different traits. A few dragons have crystallised out of these myths to become the most honoured among their kind. These are the Earth Dragon (Dilong), the Heaven Dragon (Tianlong), the Water Dragon (Jiaolong), the Winged Dragon (Yinglong), the Blue Dragon （Qinglong)and the Yellow Dragon (Huanglong). To these noble dragons, deeply rooted in East Asian culture and possessed of great powers, Montblanc dedicates a very special Limited Edition.

The second in the series features Jiaolong, the Water Dragon, depicted on the 925 sterling silver cap. With a coral red lacquer barrel, Au 750 solid champagne gold fittings and an amethyst set in the cone, this exquisite writing instrument is inspired by the imperial character of the Water Dragon.

A delicate engraving of an antique sword on the Au 750 gold nib recalls the battle-loving Ya Zi, the second son of the nine sons of the dragon. The cap is crowned by the Montblanc emblem in mother-of-pearl covered by sapphire glass.

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