Launched in 2005, it is an elaborate composition, meticulously handcrafted by the Maki-E master Tatsuya Tōdō. It pays tribute to the legendary actor Marlon Brando and his beloved island paradise of Tetiaroa.
The AL2 Marlon Brando Tahiti Musume has been made possible through the fruitful collaboration of many players. These include the Estate of the late actor to whom the pen is dedicated; a Polynesian nature conservancy and education organization, Te Mana o Te Moana (spirit of the ocean), which will benefit from sales of the pen; the Parker pen company, which provides one of the pen canvas for the project; Maki-E artist Tatsuya Tōdō who renders his subject with depth and fine detail; and, finally, Classic Pens, who supplies the other pen canvas, brings everyone together and provides the creative spark.
The artwork portrays a scene of French Polynesia. Few things were as close to Brando’s heart as Tetiaroa, an atoll near Tahiti where he spent time between 1965 and his death in 2004 at the age of 80.
The design is inspired by the work of French painter Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), who lived in Tahiti in his final years and often featured native women in his works. The composition depicts the tanned figure of a young maiden standing in a pond surrounded by water lilies. It showcases a variety of flowers native to the Tahitian islands such as red hibiscus, violet passion flowers and pink water lilies.
The star of the design is the fragrant white tiare flower, which is rendered on the pen in pale lacquer studded with quail egg shell inlay. The sparkling water is portrayed by inlaid blue mother of pearl.
The decoration of the Marlon Brando Tahiti Musume combines elements of four specialized lacquer Maki-E techniques. The first is Togidashi Maki-E, which involves sprinkled gold dust between layers of urushi lacquer. This forms the background on which the rest of the design is built. The second is Taka Maki-E, which creates a raised artwork that adds texture to the composition. Many of the flowers and leaves are created using this technique.
The third technique is Raden which uses mother of pearl inlay. It portrays the reflection of light in water and in particular the sparkling pond where the maiden is standing. The maiden is painted in Togidashi Maki-E. The final Maki-E technique employed is the inlaying of quail egg shell to represent faithfully the tiare flowers.
The master Tatsuya Tōdō creates each Marlon Brando Tahiti Musume design by hand before applying his signatures. Each pen in the series bears two Tōdō signatures – the usual one in gold and the second signature, the Red Seal, which indicates that the artist considers this composition to be an exceptional work of art.
The AL2 Marlon Brando Tahiti Musume has been made possible through the fruitful collaboration of many players. These include the Estate of the late actor to whom the pen is dedicated; a Polynesian nature conservancy and education organization, Te Mana o Te Moana (spirit of the ocean), which will benefit from sales of the pen; the Parker pen company, which provides one of the pen canvas for the project; Maki-E artist Tatsuya Tōdō who renders his subject with depth and fine detail; and, finally, Classic Pens, who supplies the other pen canvas, brings everyone together and provides the creative spark.
The artwork portrays a scene of French Polynesia. Few things were as close to Brando’s heart as Tetiaroa, an atoll near Tahiti where he spent time between 1965 and his death in 2004 at the age of 80.
The design is inspired by the work of French painter Paul Gauguin (1848-1903), who lived in Tahiti in his final years and often featured native women in his works. The composition depicts the tanned figure of a young maiden standing in a pond surrounded by water lilies. It showcases a variety of flowers native to the Tahitian islands such as red hibiscus, violet passion flowers and pink water lilies.
The star of the design is the fragrant white tiare flower, which is rendered on the pen in pale lacquer studded with quail egg shell inlay. The sparkling water is portrayed by inlaid blue mother of pearl.
The decoration of the Marlon Brando Tahiti Musume combines elements of four specialized lacquer Maki-E techniques. The first is Togidashi Maki-E, which involves sprinkled gold dust between layers of urushi lacquer. This forms the background on which the rest of the design is built. The second is Taka Maki-E, which creates a raised artwork that adds texture to the composition. Many of the flowers and leaves are created using this technique.
The third technique is Raden which uses mother of pearl inlay. It portrays the reflection of light in water and in particular the sparkling pond where the maiden is standing. The maiden is painted in Togidashi Maki-E. The final Maki-E technique employed is the inlaying of quail egg shell to represent faithfully the tiare flowers.
The master Tatsuya Tōdō creates each Marlon Brando Tahiti Musume design by hand before applying his signatures. Each pen in the series bears two Tōdō signatures – the usual one in gold and the second signature, the Red Seal, which indicates that the artist considers this composition to be an exceptional work of art.
The pen is pre-owned and in excellent condtion, it has some light brush marks on the clip and centerband. Boxes and documents are not included.