Wancher Voyage - Vietnam

  

Welcome on board of Wancher Voyage - our grand adventure, set out to explore and seek the most distinguished arts around the world, which was once forgotten by the time. 

From Japan to China, once again, we have sailed Wancher Voyage, and this time, we are heading toward Vietnam - a country of surprisingly painstaking arts that have yet to be fully discovered. 

Coming to Vietnam, we know that the first thing we want to explore is Vietnamese lacquer - Son Mai (Sơn Mài) - one of the most honorable traditional art forms of the country. 

While lacquer painting has been mostly practiced in Asia for thousands of years, in the 1930s, Vietnamese artists revived the art form, integrated this long-standing traditional lacquer painting with sanding techniques, and created a unique art called Son Mai.

About Son Mai

  
  
Son Mai painting is made with lacquer created from resin of Cay Son (Cây Sơn) tree (known as Rhus succedanea) grown in Phu Tho, Vietnam. In this technique, many layers of lacquer are applied, left to dry, and polished over many months or even a year. Precious decoration materials such as gold, silver, seashells, or eggshells are also used together in the application process.

However, what makes this technique so different from others is the Mài - grounding step. In Son Mai, the final image is fully revealed only after the lacquer layers are ground back. Therefore, the work of making Son Mai is unpredictable, arduous yet rewarding if the artist is persistent until the end.

   

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Each and every single fountain pen in the Wancher Voyage x Vietnam collection is handcrafted by experienced Son Mai artists from Vietnam. Limited to only 1 piece each, these fountain pens carry the unique style of individual artisan and will be a one-a-kind Son Mai fountain that only you would ever own.

Son Mai's Artisans

Master PHAM CHINH TRUNG

VIEW COLLECTION

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