Visconti Van Gogh Fountain Pen - Sunflowers
Visconti's latest launch draws inspiration from one of Van Gogh's most treasured and iconic paintings, 'Sunflowers'. Van Gogh painted with three shades of yellow ‘and nothing else’. In doing so, he demonstrated that it was possible to create an image with numerous variations of a single color without any loss of eloquence.
The Visconti ‘Sunflowers’ fountain pen is made from natural resin, brought to life by vibrant yellow hues expressing a special significance for Van Gogh: ‘gratitude’. The meticulous selection of resins and their color mix is one of the major innovations introduced by Visconti and makes each and every Visconti Van Gogh pen unique. The colors are further enhanced by the unique 18 faceted design of the Van Gogh Collection.
Just like other painters working at the time, Van Gogh created floral themed still-life paintings, but he did things a little differently, experimented with color. After practicing with different flowers, he chose a specific variety: the sunflower. Thinking that these flowers were somewhat coarse and unrefined, Van Gogh gave sunflowers the lead role in several paintings.
Van Gogh knew that his sunflower paintings were special, as did other people. After he died, friends brought sunflowers with them to his funeral. Sunflowers became synonymous with Van Gogh, just as he had hoped.
Each fountain pen nib is made from steel and engraved with Van Gogh's signature. A converter is included with each pen, and the fountain pen is presented in a gift box with a bookmark and a bottle of Visconti 'sunny yellow' ink to match the pen. It also accepts standard international short cartridges.
We do our best to photograph the pens to show how they will appear in person, but due to the nature of the material, expect some variation in the pattern from what you see here.
Click here to shop all compatible short standard international ink cartridges.
- Condition
- New
- Brand
- Visconti
- Type
- Fountain Pens
- Color
- Yellow
- Demonstrator
Whether or not the barrel of the pen is translucent, allowing you to see the ink and filling mechanism inside.
- No
- Body Material
- Resin
- Cap Type
How the cap is opened/closed from the barrel of the pen. Some common options include Snap-Cap, Screw-Cap, Magnetic Cap, or Capless (no cap).
- Magnetic cap
- Compatible inks & refills
Which ink this pen will accept. Choices include bottled ink and various styles of pre-filled ink cartridges.
- Bottled ink, Standard international short ink cartridges
- Filling Mechanism
How the pen fills with ink. Click here to watch our video tutorial on common filling mechanisms.
- Cartridge, Converter
- Grip Material
- Metal
- Nib Size
- Fine
- Nib Color
- Silver
- Nib Material
- Steel
- Postable
Whether or not the cap fits securely onto the back of the barrel when open.
- Yes
- Retractable
Whether or not the nib/tip can retract into the body of the pen (usually for click or twist-open style pens).
- No
- Diameter - Body
- 12.4mm (0.49in)
- Diameter - Cap (without clip)
- 14.5mm (0.57in)
- Diameter - Cap (with clip)
- 19mm (0.75in)
- Diameter - Grip (mm)
Measured from the place most people choose to rest their fingers, which varies with each pen.
- 10.3mm
- Length - Body
The measurement from the back end of the barrel to the tip of the nib.
- 124.1mm (4.89in)
- Length - Cap
- 65.7mm (2.59in)
- Length - Nib
The measured length of the visible portion of the nib when it is installed in the pen, from grip to tip.
- 20mm (0.79in)
- Length - Overall (Closed)
- 139.5mm (5.49in)
- Length - Overall (Posted)
When the cap of the pen is posted onto the back of the pen body, this is the measurement of the entire pen including the nib.
- 158.3mm (6.23in)
- Weight - Body
If a converter is included with the pen, this weight is reflected in the total.
- 20g (0.71oz)
- Weight - Cap
- 11g (0.39oz)
- Weight - Overall (g)
- 31.0g
- Max Ink Capacity - Cartridge
The maximum volume of ink that can fit in the pen when using a cartridge.
- 0.94ml
- Max Ink Capacity - Converter
The maximum volume of ink that can fit in the pen when using a converter.
- 1.03ml
Customer Reviews
A beautiful writing instrument, elegantly presented, this Visconti Sunflower fountain pen was my smartest purchase. The Sunflower ink color is lovely.
Though on the more expensive side for something you write with, if what you write with matters, this is a deal. I purchased the Sunflowers Van Gogh and the color with the corresponding ink is remarkable. The pleasure of the writing experience is outstanding as the pen is so well built and designed. I found it delightful either posted or not and the magnetic cap is an added bonus for quick and pleasing access. Everything about this pen is perfect in my mind. The silver nib to match the yellow and the F nib I purchased with the pen is exactly what I was hoping it would be to serve as a daily workhorse.
My first Visconti what a wonderful writing pen very smooth and light in the hand. The Van Gouh comes with yellow ink to match the pen. You can write for hours with this pen the nib just gliuds across the paper. Every time I pick the pen up it's ready to write.
I've planned on buying a Visconti for several years and took the plunge. In receiving it the packaging and care were what I expected from a pen of this price but I was hesitant about how well I would like it out of the box. Several days of writing later and I appreciate all the little details more and more every day. The lightness of the pen is a little intimidating for someone as heavy-handed as me, but it's easy to get used to.
FAQs about Fountain Pens
How do I fill a fountain pen with ink?
It depends on the pen's filling mechanism, which you can find in the Technical Specs section above.
Here's a quick definition of the most common filling mechanisms:
- Cartridge - A small, disposable, sealed plastic reservoir that holds fountain pen ink. These come pre-filled with ink, and typically you just push to insert them into place and you'll be ready to write! Check out our quick guide here.
- Converter - A detachable and refillable ink reservoir that allows you to use bottled ink in a cartridge-accepting pen. Typically you will install the converter into the grip section, dip the nib/feed into the ink, and twist or pull the converter knob to draw ink into the converter. Here's a video for how to fill a cartridge/converter pen using a LAMY pen as an example.
- Eyedropper - A pen that utilizes the entire barrel as a reservoir for ink. Ink is directly filled into the barrel, allowing for a high ink capacity. Here's a video on how to do it!
- Piston - A type of filling system that uses a retracting plunger inside a sealed tube to draw ink into a pen. They are typically either twist or push-operated. These pens cannot accept cartridges or a converter, and only fill from bottled ink.
- Vacuum - A push-style piston that uses pressure to fill the large pen body with ink. They seal the ink chamber when closed, making it ideal for flying without risk of leaking. Check out our video on how to use a vac filler here.
Check out more info on these filling mechanisms including a video on how to fill each one on our blog.
How do I clean a fountain pen?
It depends on the filling mechanism, but it mostly comes down to flushing it out with water, and sometimes a little bit of Pen Flush if the ink is really stuck.
It's a bit easier to show than to tell, so we've put together a few quick videos showing you the process:
How often do I need to clean my fountain pen?
We recommend a good cleaning every 2 weeks, and any time you change ink colors.
Water will usually do the trick, but we recommend you use our Goulet Pen Flush if the ink has been left in the pen for a while and could have dried up, or when you’re switching ink colors.
My pen won’t write! What do I do?
First things first... make sure you have ink in the pen! Be sure that the ink cartridge or converter is seated properly in the pen, and that you aren't out of ink.
We always recommend you give your pen a good cleaning first, using our Goulet Pen Flush, or a drop of dish soap in some water. New pens often have some machining oil residue left in the feed, so a good cleaning often does the trick first.
If that still doesn't work, try priming the feed. This consists of either dipping your pen nib and feed in ink, or forcing ink from the converter down into the feed.
If it’s still not working after that, please reach out to us so we can help!
What's your return policy?
You can submit a return request within 30 days of your order date. You can read all our Return Policies here.
To initiate a return, please submit a request at the Return Portal. Our Customer Care team might reach out to you for more information.
Please note we are unable to accept a return of any Namiki or Sailor Bespoke fountain pen for any reason once it has been used with ink. Please thoroughly inspect and dry test the pen before use.