Conway Stewart Ashmolean Pen - John Ruskin · Rollerball

The Ashmolean is the University of Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology

It is one of the oldest museums in the world, and first opened in 1683. It has a huge collection of fine art, and probably one of the most diverse and unusual collection of objects in the world. Here is just a taster of the collection on display:

• Drawings by Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci 
• Paintings by Picasso, van Dyck, Rubens, Cézanne, Constable, J. M. W. Turner
• The Messiah Stradivarius, a violin made by Antonio Stradivari
• Arab ceremonial dress owned by Lawrence of Arabia 
• A death mask of Oliver Cromwell
• An extensive collection of antiquities from Egypt
• The ceremonial cloak of Chief Powhatan (father of Pocahontas)

To celebrate this wonderful museum in the University of Oxford, a number of pens are to be launched , each with a theme taken from a collection. Each themed pen will be a limited edition of 200 pens worldwide and each will be numbered.

The Museum’s Statues Orders & Rules

The father of the Ashmolean Museum is Elias Ashmole, and he wrote the “Statutes Orders & Rules” of the Ashmolean Museum in 1686, and a facsimile of this hand written document is included with every pen. The title to this document is reproduced on the barrel of each Ashmolean Pen in Elias Ashmole's own hand-writing and the spelling of University is the way he spelt it in 1686 ; "The Ashmolean Museum in the Unversity of Oxford". These statute orders & rules have been adopted and adapted by public museums around the world, so these wise words written over 337 years ago are still relevant today in so many ways. 

The John Ruskin Pen

The theme of the first pen in the series is John Ruskin, (8 February, 1819–20 January, 1900) who was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, as well as an art patron, philosopher, prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He also has a unique association with the University of Oxford.

He wrote essays and treatises, poetry and lectures, travel guides and manuals, letters and even a fairy tale. He also made detailed sketches and paintings of rocks, plants, birds, landscapes, architectural structures, and ornamentation. Much of these are now owned by and on display at the Ashmolean Museum. His book on architecture “The Seven Lamps of Architecture” with opening paragraph (shown below) still inspires architects today over 170+ years since it was first written.

""Architecture is the art which so disposes and adorns the edifices raised by man for whatsoever uses, that the sight of them contribute to his mental health, power, and pleasure""

He was appointed the first Slade Professor of Fine Art at Oxford University in August 1869 and famously, at one of his lectures said, “The art of any country is the exponent of its social and political virtues.” Ruskin’s lectures were often so popular that they had to be given twice—once for the students, and again for the public.

""The John Ruskin Pen"" is engraved into the body of the barrel, and one of his most famous sketches of a Lion's Head is engraved on the top of the cap. The pen is made in Oxford Blue acrylic and complimented with 9ct gold. The wide cap band has English hallmarks to prove its quality and provenance.

Large Presentation Box

Each pen is supplied in a beautiful Ashmolean Museum branded box in blue leatherette. Included with the pen is a booklet on the Ashmolean Museum and John Ruskin, a bottle of Sapphire Blue ink, a polishing cloth, a Conway Stewart user guide, and a certificate of authenticity.

The Ashmolean Museum

This pen is brought to you by the Ashmolean Museum in the University of Oxford based in Oxford, England. A proportion of each pen sold is given to the Museum to help with their running costs. To find out more about the museum visit their website.