Cypress Maki-e Goldfish Fountain Pen

The Cypress Maki-e Goldfish Fountain Pen brings together Taiwanese small-workshop penmaking, natural lacquer, and one of East Asia's most enduring auspicious motifs. The ebonite body serves as a warm, lightweight foundation for layered urushi and maki-e decoration, while this particular example is configured beyond the standard specification with an upgraded 14k Medium gold nib and upgraded presentation box. Cypress's Goldfish design is now sold out, making the combination of artwork, upgraded nib, and complete premium presentation especially appealing to collectors who favor handcrafted lacquer pens outside the traditional Japanese houses.

Craftsmanship & Design

The pen is built from ebonite, a material long associated with serious fountain pens because it is light in the hand, dimensionally stable, and naturally suited to lacquer finishing. Over that foundation, Cypress applies urushi and maki-e decoration to create the Goldfish composition. Maki-e relies on lacquer as an adhesive surface for metallic powders, allowing the image to develop through successive applications rather than through a single printed or painted layer.

That distinction matters when the pen is handled. Metallic decoration suspended within and over lacquer reacts differently to changing light than conventional surface paint. Gold-toned areas can appear subdued from one angle and sharply illuminated from another, while repeated polishing gives the background a visual depth that is difficult to reproduce with modern synthetic coatings. The result is a pen whose appearance changes continuously as it turns in the hand.

The Story Behind the Artwork

The goldfish motif carries a long history of auspicious meaning in East Asian decorative art. In Chinese visual culture, fish are associated with abundance because the word for fish is a homophone for surplus, while goldfish add another layer of wordplay through associations with gold and jade. Goldfish imagery therefore came to express wishes for prosperity, sufficiency, and a household filled with good fortune.

That symbolism also helps explain why goldfish became such a natural subject for decorative objects. They combine movement, color, and reflective surfaces with a meaning that is celebratory rather than solemn. On a cylindrical writing instrument, the swimming form is particularly effective because the composition reveals itself gradually as the pen rotates. The motif is not only decorative; it transforms the act of turning the pen in the hand into part of the visual experience.

Cypress's treatment of the subject belongs to a broader East Asian tradition in which fish are used to convey vitality and abundance. Rather than reducing the motif to a simple animal illustration, the maki-e format gives the goldfish a luminous quality that suits its symbolic association with prosperity. The use of metallic powders against dark lacquer reinforces that effect, allowing the fish to emerge and recede as the light changes.

The Art of Urushi & Maki-e

Natural lacquer is built slowly. Each layer must be applied, cured under controlled humidity, refined, and polished before subsequent work can proceed. In maki-e, metallic powders are applied while lacquer is still active, then protected and integrated through additional finishing. The process rewards patience because the final depth comes from accumulated layers rather than from thickness alone.

For collectors, this is one of the reasons a handmade lacquer pen can feel fundamentally different from a conventional production model. Small variations in application, polishing, and the placement of decorative material give each finished surface an individual character. Even when the design follows a defined motif, the handwork prevents the pen from feeling mechanically identical to another example.

Premium Configuration & Presentation

This example is upgraded in two important ways. First, it is fitted with a 14k Medium gold nib rather than the standard steel configuration. The gold nib gives the pen a softer, more responsive feel and elevates the writing hardware to a level more consistent with the artistry of the exterior. Second, the pen is accompanied by the upgraded decorative presentation box rather than only standard packaging.

The presentation matters because the box becomes part of the ownership experience for an art pen of this type. Together with the original papers, the upgraded box creates a more complete collector package and distinguishes this example from a standard-order Goldfish. The pen is new and retains that upgraded presentation.

Writing Experience

The 14k Medium nib is paired with a standard cartridge/converter filling system. That choice keeps the pen practical despite its decorative complexity: cartridges are convenient for travel, while the converter allows access to bottled inks without introducing a more complicated internal mechanism beneath the lacquered body. The ebonite construction also keeps the pen comfortable in the hand, balancing the visual richness of the exterior with relatively light physical weight.

The Medium nib suits the character of the pen well. It provides enough ink flow to show shading and saturation while remaining versatile enough for everyday writing. For a collector who intends to use rather than merely display the pen, the upgraded gold nib makes the writing experience feel commensurate with the craftsmanship of the body.

Technical Specifications

• Brand: Cypress
• Model: Maki-e Goldfish
• Item Number: PUR-FTGFMA002B / PUR-FTGFMA002J family
• Writing Mode: Fountain Pen
• Nib: Upgraded 14k Gold
• Nib Size: Medium
• Filling System: Cartridge / Converter
• Material: Ebonite with urushi and maki-e decoration
• Length: Approximately 138.5 mm
• Presentation: Upgraded decorative presentation box
• Condition: New
• Included: Upgraded presentation box and original papers
• Country of Origin: Taiwan