Visconti (company)

Visconti is an Italian manufacturing company of luxury goods, founded in 1988 in Florence by Dante Del Vecchio and Luigi Poli, who were themselves collectors of fountain pens. The company became notable for the use of celluloid in the manufacturing of its pens, adding details in ivory, titanium, gold, diamond, ebonite, and acrylic fiber.[1]

Visconti S.r.l.
TypeS.r.l.
IndustryLuxury goods
FoundedOctober 20, 1988 (1988-10-20) in Florence
FounderLuigi Poli and Dante del Vecchio
HeadquartersFlorence, Italy
Key people
  • Dante Del Vecchio
  • Luigi Poli
ProductsFountain pens, nibs, watches
Websitewww.visconti.it

Visconti's handmade fountain pens have been recognised for their quality and fine craft,[2] having released several collections since the company's inception.[3]

History

The company was founded on October 20, 1988, by Luigi Poli and Dante del Vecchio, two friends that decided to turn their passion for fountain pens into a business.[4]

The first collection launched by Visconti was the "Classic", a pen made of celluloid, which would be used for several collections in successive years. The success of this pen encouraged its founders to release a new model, "Urushi", a limited edition of only 100 pieces, made of ebonite and decorated with the Japanese lacquerware technique.[4]

During the 1990s, Visconti developed the high vacuum power filler system (1993), the travel inkwell (1997) and the double reservoir filling system (1998), which consisted of a double reservoir refilling system, to prevent leakage.[4] By 2008, the company had 25 employees who made the pens handcrafted.[1]

In 2009, Visconti reached a deal with Coles of London (actually based in North Carolina), whereby Coles became the official distributor of Visconti products in the United States.[5] Together, both companies launched a range of new products, including the Rembrandt Collection, Opera Masters, Homo Sapiens Collection, Divina Royale range, and the limited-edition Templari.[6]

By 2012, Visconti exported its crafted products to more than 50 countries around the world, with 50,000 pens sold by year.[7]

References
  1. L' atelier della penna raddoppia il fatturato by Maurizio Bologni on La Repubblica, 22 Oct 2005
  2. Strumenti di scrittura Visconti: non solo penne, ma veri gioielli by Daniela Carrara on TopNegozi
  3. Penna magazine of fountain pens, pages 23,58,59 (archived), 28 Jul 2014
  4. Brand values & history on Visconti website
  5. Visconti pen service on Coles of London website
  6. Stylus, Winter 2010 p.44-48
  7. Massini, Claudio (22 November 2012). "Visconti, il lusso nelle penne, apre anche in Porta Rossa" (in Italian). La Gazzetta di Firenze.
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