Pelikan Souveran M1000 Maki-e Dragonfly Limited Edition Fountain Pen

The Pelikan Souveran M1000 Maki-e Dragonfly Limited Edition Fountain Pen unites Pelikan's largest regular-production fountain pen with a Japanese lacquer composition devoted to one of the most enduring symbols of courage, renewal, and good fortune. Five dragonflies move across a richly layered field of black, brown, gold, and iridescent color, each rendered through a different combination of lacquer, metal powder, and shell.

The Story Behind the Artwork

In Japanese culture, the dragonfly is associated with strength, success, and forward movement. Its inability to fly backward made it a favored emblem among samurai, who saw in the insect a model of resolve and refusal to retreat. Ancient Japan was also poetically called Akitsushima, or the Isles of the Dragonfly, giving the motif a connection to the landscape and identity of the country itself.

Pelikan's composition presents five individual dragonflies rather than a repeated decorative pattern. Their positions create the impression of movement across a changing natural environment, while the dark ground allows gold, color, and raden to emerge with greater intensity. The varied rendering of the insects invites close study: wings, bodies, and surrounding textures shift from reflective to translucent depending on the viewing angle.

Artwork Interpretation

The background evokes tsugigami, the Japanese tradition of assembling differently colored and textured papers into a single calligraphic field. That layered effect is recreated through Byakudan-nuri, Kawari-nuri, and Togidashi Taka-maki-e. Byakudan-nuri uses transparent amber lacquer over metallic underlayers to create warm depth; Kawari-nuri introduces irregular textured surfaces; and Togidashi Taka-maki-e combines raised decoration with polishing so that parts of the image appear to emerge from and recede into the lacquer.

Raden shell and gold dust give the wings and surrounding details their shifting brilliance. Raden is not simply a bright accent: its iridescence changes with the light, echoing the transparent, reflective quality of real dragonfly wings. Gold powder adds warmth and continuity across the composition, linking the five insects to the larger lacquer field.

German Engineering and Japanese Lacquer

The pen begins as a Souveran M1000 produced in Germany, then receives its lacquer decoration in Japan. The M1000 provides a broad canvas for the artwork and retains Pelikan's piston mechanism, dark ink-view window, beak-shaped clip, and gold-plated trim. Each example carries an individual edition number and the artist's signature applied by hand in maki-e.

Writing Experience

This example is fitted with Pelikan's two-tone 18k Fine gold nib. The large M1000 nib is known for a softer, more responsive feel than smaller Souveran nibs, and the Fine width provides controlled everyday writing while preserving the generous flow associated with the model. The piston mechanism draws bottled ink directly into the barrel and provides substantial capacity.

Collector Perspective

Released in 2017 in an edition of only 111 pieces worldwide, Dragonfly belongs to Pelikan's annual series of M1000 maki-e releases. Its importance within that series comes from both the cultural resonance of the subject and the unusual variety of techniques used across a single pen. Rather than relying on one dominant motif or finish, it functions as a compact survey of Japanese lacquer methods built around a symbol deeply rooted in Japanese history.

Technical Specifications

• Product Type: Fountain Pen
• Condition: New Old Stock - with Original Boxes and Papers
• Collection: Pelikan Souveran M1000 Maki-e
• Edition: Dragonfly Limited Edition
• Limitation: 111 pieces worldwide
• Product Number: 806701
• Artwork: Five dragonflies over a tsugigami-inspired ground
• Techniques: Byakudan-nuri, Kawari-nuri, Togidashi Taka-maki-e, raden, gold dust
• Nib Material: Two-tone 18k gold
• Nib Size: Fine
• Filling System: Piston Fill
• Primary Color: Black
• Country of Manufacture: Germany
• Decoration: Hand-finished in Japan
• Condition: Excellent Pre-Owned Condition