Montegrappa Zodiac Dog Fountain Pen

MONTEGRAPPAZODIAC DOGSTERLING SILVER FOUNTAIN PENEnchanted by the mysthique of the oriental world, Montegrappa wishes to pay a tribute to this millenary culture by dedicating to the Chinese astrology its intriguing Oriental Zodiac collection.This series of writing instruments utilizes our unique hand embellished overlays, a technique perfected with the introduction of our limited editions. The outstanding features of Montegrappa writing instruments incorporated with the hand embellished die-cast overlays creates a unique combination of 3 dimensional art with a perfectly balanced writing instrument, an heirloom to be cherished now and forever.Each pen is individually numbered and is housed in an impressive Chinese style lacquered gift box. Each instrument comes with a lifetime guarantee against manufacturing defects.The oriental zodiac is the oldest in the world. Like Western astrology, it divides all people into 12 personality types that are identified as animals. Oriental astrology is rooted firmly in the shifting patterns of the life on earth, the seasons, the weather, and of course, complex oriental philosophy. The fundamentals of Eastern wisdom are derived from Taoism, which perceives the universe as an eternal ebb and flow of the two principles of the male and female, otherwise known as Yin and Yang, represented by the Sun and the Moon.The oriental astrology has five elements that are representations of the five visible planets of old, Water which is ruled by Mercury, Metal ruled by Venus, Fire ruled by Mars, Wood ruled by Jupiter and Earth ruled by Saturn.The Sun and Moon are not regarded as planets because they are the primal forces of Yin and Yang. All the 12 oriental signs are governed by the five elements.Thus the Chinese calendar is based on a 60-year cycle, considering that each element's sign only appears every 60 years - calculated by multiplying the 12 signs by the five elements.As a result of the Yin-Yang polarity, each element would manifest itself in either a destructive or constructive manner.For instance Fire could burn your house down or be tamed to light your house and give out warmth as well. The five elements having been doubled in this fashion are known as the ten element mothers and they gave birth to 12 children.These 12 children represent the 12 animals of the oriental zodiac, and in sequence they are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar. According to another story, the Buddha asked all the animals that inhabited the Earth to visit Him to celebrate a Chinese New Year. Somehow, it seems, His request was not widely circulated and only 12 animals arrived in time for the festivities. In order to honour the animals that had turned up, He decided it was only fair that they and they alone should be awarded a year of their own. The oriental astrological system is based upon lunar cycles. The Chinese year is 12 lunar months. Each lunar year is ruled by one animal alone.The Dog is an indigenous animal in ancient Chinese proper. The oldest images of the Dog were engraved on a bronze vase of the Chou dynasty. The dog is valued for its fidelity though despised for other purposes and serves as both guardian and scavenger. The dog is a creature which is naturally watchful and is skilful in selection of men. The Pekinese dogs were the pets of the Imperial family as mentioned in the records of the Chou dynasty of l000BC.Total length (cap closed) : 133 mm Total length (cap posted behind barrel) : 163 mm Barrel diameter: 13 mm