Wild Horses of the Camargue – folding knife and fountain pen set

This set is a collaboration between internationally renowned knifemaker Des Horn, Stanford Pen Studio and artist Zelna le Roux. Titled, Wild Horses of the Camargue, it features no fewer than 17 of these magnificent horses, surging at full gallop through the wetlands of the Rhône delta.

Des Horn’s folding knife is in itself a work of art. The blade is stain-resisting Damasteel that has undergone a double temper and cryogenic treatment in liquid nitrogen to give exceptional edge-holding and strength.

The knife is extremely light, stainless and waterproof.

With his background as a former dentist, Des is known for his precision mechanisms. He works to tolerances measured in microns and his locking mechanism is so smooth one can open this folder with one hand. Not surprisingly, Des has been recognised as one of the greatest living knifemakers.

The artist, Zelna le Roux, a passionate horsewoman and equine artist, captured the wild power of these horses in fine detail and with real feeling. She somehow managed to portray these steeds looking so lifelike, despite her having to work at such a miniature scale. The horses’ eyes and their hooves, for example, measure less than a millimetre. (As with all the artists with whom we work, Zelna paints directly on to the pen and not, for example, on to paper or at a larger scale which is then transferred on to the pen.) Once again she has given life to our motto: We operate at the interface between art, technology and magic.

Some more background on the process of making the fountain pen: We created the pen blank which Zelna then painted. Once she had completed her artwork, we coated it in a layer of clear resin so as to allow the ultimate owner to carry and use this art on a daily basis without it getting scratched or damaged. We also added a grip section in a teal colour, then did a final shaping, polishing and buffing. Finally we will tune the nib once the new owner has chosen the nib width they would prefer. The end product is a portable, functional, one-of-a kind work of art. This particular pen has an Argentium silver section ring and cap band, and a silver logo medallion embedded in the cap finial.

If you would like to request a custom pen and knife set, or just a pen painted by Zelna, please send us an email via our contact page and we will ask if the subject matter is something that inspires her.

Nib:

Available in Jowo #6 in polished steel. Please select Fine, Medium or Broad at the check-out. We also have a few 18kt gold nibs in stock in Fine.