It’s only February, and it already feels like a lot has been going on in the writing instruments industry. Recently, this year, Montblanc launched Romeo & Juliet (just in time for Valentine’s Day), just a few days ago Caran d’Ache turned to classic board games to create its new Damier Collection, and yesterday, Scribo has just unveiled a brand-new collection in the LA DOTTA series, the Liber Paradisus. In today’s article, we take a closer look at Scribo’s latest creation, highlighting some of its most important specs, but first, let’s briefly/shortly clarify the meaning behind its name, which, in fact, may sound familiar to some of you… Without further ado, let’s dive in!
La Dotta is the fifth series in Scribo’s portfolio and is inspired by one of the nicknames the historic city of Bologna—Scribo’s hometown—is known for, meaning “The Learned” or “The Erudite,” an appellative attributed to it for being home to the oldest university in the Western world. An interesting fact, and such an inspired take from Scribo.
Liber Paradisus – A Brief Historical Context
Moving on to the Liber Paradisus collection, whose name is also tied to an important event, this time, and I’m referring to the landmark law promulgated in Bologna in 1256, which stands as one of the earliest and most concrete legislative acts in Europe to abolish serfdom.
The statute formally declared that all people living under Bologna’s jurisdiction were born free. In essence, the Liber Paradisus transformed freedom from an abstract ideal into a legal and civic reality. It marked a new chapter in European history by affirming that personal liberty could be guaranteed by law, laying early groundwork for later humanist and Enlightenment ideas about individual rights and dignity.
The Collection
Inspired by this pivotal moment in humankind’s history, Scribo has created the new La Dotta Liber Paradisus collection. But what does a writing instrument have to do with a law that once proclaimed freedom, one might reasonably ask? Scribo went a step further and, by extension, applied the idea of freedom to writing itself, imagining it as a liberating act, which, in fact, it is. In my opinion, the act of putting pen to paper has lately become one of the few activities that truly sets me free, and I’m sure I’m not the only one out there.
“Writing with this pen means recognising the value of free, slow, conscious thought. In a time that consumes everything quickly, Liber Paradisus invites us to pause, to leave a trace, to give shape to what is born within,” states Scribo.
Crafted from ebonite, a living and noble material praised for its matte surface and warm tactile feeling, the collection consists of two editions: Liber in red, crossed by yellow veins and embellished with gold finishes, which evokes the warmth of the earth and civic passion and Paradisus in blue, streaked with red veins and palladium finishes, evokes the depth of thought, the dialogue between rigour and imagination.
As vivid as both editions look, we all know the biggest strength of Scribo also lies in the writing experience. For that, each pen comes equipped with two nib options: the regular 18k gold nib, available in Extra Extra Fine, Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, Broad, BB, BBB, and Stub, and the flex version in 14k gold, available in Extra Fine, Fine, Medium, and Broad. A spec worth mentioning for any writing aficionado is the ink capacity, with each pen in the collection taking up to 1.42 ml—so one could easily lose track of time when writing, without the need to refill so often.
The collection is limited to only 90 pieces per model, which I assume will sell out rather quickly, knowing how much these pens are appreciated among the collectors. Yet its true significance lies beyond scarcity; its lasting value resides in the philosophy behind it: writing seen not as utility, but as liberation, an act of freedom.
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