Montblanc Patron of Art Homage to Napoléon Bonaparte
"Great men are meteors designed to burn so that Earth may be lighted."
(Napoléon Bonaparte, Le discours de Lyon, 1791, published by Albert Morancé, 1929, p. 81)
Napoléon: general, emperor and patron of the arts
Napoléon Bonaparte was one of the rare figures in history whose life had far-reaching impact. He changed the face of Europe and helped shape the modern era. In the history books, he stands as a brilliant strategist and commander as well as a visionary conqueror. Born in 1769 in Corsica, Napoléon Bonaparte is known for his meteoric rise from general to first consul to emperor of the French. As a ruler, he shook the entire world with innovations such as centralised administration, religious tolerance and, most notably, the Code civil, the first common civil code, which established the equality of all people. Napoléon Bonaparte's glory lives on in the magnificent architecture parlante style of the famous Parisian structures built during his reign. In addition to architecture, other arts, such as painting, sculpture and the decorative arts, also blossomed under his leadership. The Montblanc Patron of Art Homage to Napoléon Bonaparte Limited Edition 4810 is dedicated to this important emperor and patron of the arts.
Great among greats
Even at a young age, Napoléon Bonaparte was fascinated by history's great heroes. He saw himself as the successor to Julius Caesar and Charlemagne. Like Caesar, he gained fame as a military commander, restructured the state as consul and ultimately strove for the crown. Rather than claim the throne of the unpopular Bourbon kings, however, Napoléon Bonaparte set his sights on a universal empire in the tradition of Charlemagne. On 2 December 1804, Napoléon Bonaparte entered Notre Dame Cathedral wearing an imperial laurel wreath and crowned himself in the presence of the pope. His throne was designed in the style of Charlemagne. His coronation robe was decorated not with the traditional Bourbon lily, but the bee, which was the symbol of France's first royal dynasty, the Merovingians. The golden bees used to decorate Napoléon Bonaparte's palaces, courts and imperial offices also adorn the cap and barrel of this edition. The engravings on the cap top - a laurel wreath, the imperial crown and an eagle - refer to Napoléon Bonaparte's coronation insignia. The cap is crowned by the Montblane emblem in precious resin.
One of the loveliest cities in the world
Napoléon Bonaparte's admiration of ancient rulers mirrored his enthusiasm for antique buildings. As early as 1798, he planned to make Paris one of the most beautiful city in the world - another Rome. He commissioned the construction of numerous classical buildings according to the ideals of antiquity. They include the arcades of the Rue de Rivoli, the Paris Stock Exchange and the church of la Madeleine, the splendid pillars of which call to mind a Greek temple. In 1806, at the height of his fame, Napoléon Bonaparte commissioned four triumphal arches. These were intended, as he put it, to support French sculpture for years. One of the most famous, the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile (50 m high and 44 m wide), is more than twice as large as its antique predecessor in Rome. Napoléon Bonaparte also charged some of the best relief artists of his time with creating the Colonne Vendôme. In reference to Trajan's Column in Rome, a spiralling relief of 425 bronze plates proclaims the victorious campaigns of the Grande Armée. The classical style of Napoléon Bonaparte' buildings inspired the decorative gold-coated fittings as well as the detailed work on the cap ring and the antiqued palmetto motif on the cone, which also bears an engraved portrait of the emperor.
Emperor of the decorative arts
Napoléon Bonaparte surrounded himself with everything that was magnificent, fine and majestic. His love of symbolism and splendour drove extensive redesigns of palaces like Fontainebleau. While his first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais, received her own wing, Napoléon Bonaparte preferred the former royal quarters for his throne room. Here, his blue velvet throne, framed by golden eagles, laurel wreaths and the ubiquitous initial "N", can still be admired today. The emperor's high aestheric standards enabled a golden era of French craftsmanship. Many objects were manufactured in the Empire style, including bronze-fitted furniture, sumptuous brocades, fine porcelain, artfully decorated weapons and a wealth of beautifully crafted portrait coins, which carried his face far beyond the borders of France. The Montblanc Patron of Art Homage to Napoléon Bonaparte Limited Edition 4810 honours the emperor's artistic sense in many ways. The pattern of golden bees on dark blue lacquer is inspired by Napoléon Bonaparte's throne in Fontainebleau, and the sword-shaped clip bears the Napoléonic “N” so prominently displayed there. The clip end is decorated with a red stone recalling the magnificent coronation ring of his wife Joséphine.
A generation of artists
David, Ingres, Géricault, Gros. Today, they are among some of the most famous French painters of the early 19th century, chosen to celebrate Napoléon Bonaparte's reign on giant canvases. Each painting is skillfully staged with lighting effects and garments that seem almost touchable. One of the most famous is Napoléon at the Saint-Bernard Pass, in which the artist Jacques-Louis David shows the first consul in military uniform and bicorn hat as he crosses the Alps on horseback. In this campaign, he followed in the footsteps of Hannibal and Charlemagne, who are both named at the bottom of the painting. Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres portrayed him in the painting Napoléon on His Imperial Throne as the
powerful emperor in coronation attire that included ermine-lined velvet robes, a sceptre and a golden laurel wreath. Napoléon Bonaparte, who was passionate about encouraging a new, uniquely French painting style, declared in 1802 that he would commission four monumental history paintings and two statues dedicated to meritorious French figures every two years. In homage to Napoléon Bonaparte, patron of the arts, the handcrafted Au 750 solid gold nib bears his portrait with the typical bicorn hat.
“伟大人物像流星，注定要燃烧自己，照亮他所处的时代。”
（拿破仑于1791年 《里昂演说》，阿尔贝•莫兰塞于1929年出版，第81页）
拿破仑——将军、皇帝和艺术赞助人
拿破仑•波拿巴是历史上的一位峥嵘人物，他的一生对后世影响深远。他改变了欧洲的面稅，继而塑造了当今的时代。他是沙场上的常胜将军，以一位杰出的战略家和指择官的身份彪炳史册，同时也是一位具有远见卓识的征服者。拿破仑于1769年出生于科西嘉岛，从将军到第一执政官，再到法国皇帝，他青云直上，举世闻名。作为统治者，他凭借多项创新举措震撼了整个世界，这包括中央集权统治、宗教宽容，尤其是 《民法典》一一确立了人人平等的原则。拿破仑在位时建造了许多法式建筑，而他的的荣耀也于华丽的“会说话的建筑 Architecture Parlante” 风格中延续。除了建筑，在他的统治下，绘画、雕塑、装饰艺术等其他艺术领城也蓬勃兴盛。万宝龙艺术赞助人系列拿破仑 •波拿巴书写工具限量款4810是对这位伟大皇帝和艺术赞助人的致敬之作。
世界历史上的传奇伟人
拿破仑•波拿巴自幼就对历史上的伟大英雄着迷。他认为自己是凯撒大帝和查理曼大帝的后继者。同凯撒大帝一样，他作为军事指择官而享有盛名，作为执政官重组了国家，并如愿得到王位。然而，拿破仑并没有夺取不得民心的波旁王朝国王王位，而是效仿查理曼大帝，加冕称帝，建立法兰西第一帝国。1804年12月2日，拿破仑头戴月桂叶金王冠进入巴黎圣母院，在教皇的见证下为自己加冕。他的宝座按照查理曼大帝的风格设计；他的加冕袍上装饰的不是传统的波旁百合花，而是蜜蜂，这是法国第一个王朝一一墨洛温王朝的象征。用于裝饰拿破仑宫殿、宫廷和御用办公室的金色蜜蜂也点缀在该限量款书写工具的笔杆和笔帽上。笔帽顶端的雕刻图案融合了拿破仑加冕仪式的元素，包括月桂花环、帝国王冠和一只鹰。笔帽顶端中心则镶嵌以珍贵树脂打造而成的万宝龙六角白星品牌标志。
闻名世界的城市
拿破仑对古建筑的热爱源手其对古代统治者的崇拜。早在1798年，他就计划将巴黎打造成一个在全世界都令人印象深刻的美丽都市一一第二个罗马。依据古代美学的理想典范，拿破仑委托建造了许多古典建筑。这些建筑包括里沃利街的无尽拱廊、巴黎证券交易所和马德兰教堂，其华丽宏伟的支柱颇有希腊神庙的古韵。1806年，拿破仑在其声望鼎盛时期，下令设计了四面均有“胜利之门”拱门的凯旋门，正如其所言，这些拱门是为了长久促进法国雕塑艺术的发展，在整个建筑竣工后，高约50米，宽约44米的雄獅凯旋门即巴黎凯旋门（法语：Arc de triomphe de l‘étoile） 己然比古罗马凯旋门大了一倍多，也是当今世界上最大的一座凯旋门。拿破仑还委托多位浮雕艺术家们创作了旺多姆圆柱，该圆柱设计参照罗马的图拉真纪念柱，425块铜板组成的螺旋形浮雕宣告了拿破仑大军的胜利功绩。拿破仑建筑的古典风格正是该限量款书写工具装饰性镀金配件，以及笔帽环上精细雕刻和笔杆尾端仿古棕榈树图案的灵感来源。笔杆尾端上同样饰有拿破仑肖像镌刻。
偏爱装饰艺术的帝王
拿破仑钟情于一切精美、宏伟和威严的事物。对象征主义和恢宏气势的热爱，促使他对枫丹白露宫等宫殿进行了大规模重新设计。当时拿破仑的第一任委子约瑟芬•博阿尔内 (Josephine de Beauharnais） 得到了一座侧翼宫，而拿破仑却更喜欢将之前的皇室住宅区作为他的正殿。在这里，人们至今仍能欣货到绣有金鹰、月桂花环和大量名字首字母“N”的蓝色天鹅线宝座。拿破仑极高的审美品位，使法国手工艺制造进入了一个黄金时代。许多物品都依据 “帝政风格”制造，包括青铜家具、奢华锦缎、精美瓷器、具有艺术装饰的武器以及大量制作精良的肖像币，这些都让他的名声远扬法国内外。万宝龙艺术赞助人系列拿破仑 •波拿巴书写工具限量款4810从不同角度向这位皇帝的艺术品味致敬。书写工具深蓝色漆面上金色蜜蜂图案的灵感来自拿破仑位于枫丹白露宫的宝座，而剑形笔夹上则印有拿破仑名字首字母“N”字样，十分引人注目。笔夹末端饰有一颗红色宝石，让人联想到拿破仑第一任妻子约瑟芬华丽的加冕戒指。
一代杰出艺术家
大卫、安格尔、热里科、格罗等活跃于19世纪初的法国著名画家们当年都被选中，以创作歌领庆祝拿破仑统治的巨幅油画系列。每幅画中都巧妙地描绘了华丽的灯光和服装，看起来惟妙惟肖。其中最著名的一幅是《拿破仑翻越阿尔卑斯山》，画家雅克 •路易•大卫 (Jacques-Louis David) 在画中呈现了这位执政官身者军装、头戴双角帽，纵马穿越阿尔卑斯山的情景，在这次战役中，他追随汉尼拔和查理曼的脚步，而这两位将军的名字都被标在了画的下方。让 •典古斯特 •多水尼克 •安格尔 (Jean-Auguste-DominiqueIngres) 在《王座上的拿破仑一世》中将拿破仑描绘成身穿加冕服和貂皮天鹅线长袍、手持权杖、头戴金色月桂花环的威严皇帝。拿破仑热衷于塑造种全新又与众不同的法国画风，他在1802年宣布，将每两年委托绘制四幅雄伟的历史油画并制作两座雕像，以献给法国的功勋人物。为了向艺术赞助人——拿破仑•波拿巴致敬，该限量款书写工具手工制作的18k金笔咀上刻有佩戴标志性双角帽的拿破仑肖像。
