thINKthursday
Akkerman Mauritshuis Magenta

This week we visit the Netherlands to enjoy a rich and
vibrant ink – Mauritshuis Magenta.

thINKthursday PW Akkerman #12 Mauritshuis Magenta

The Mauritshuis is a museum in The Hague that houses some of the premier pieces of Dutch golden age artwork. P.W. Akkerman inks are manufactured for their store in The Hague and are perhaps best know for their unique bottle. The 60ml glass bottle has a ingenious neck that houses a glass marble. When the bottle is flipped upside down the smaller chamber fills, and when the bottle is right-sided the marble keeps the ink in the small chamber. This makes filling easy and makes for a beautiful looking bottle. Akkerman also numbers all of their ink so this color can also be referred to as #12. This review was done with a Faber-Castell Loom EF, Conklin Duragraph M, and on Rhodia No. 18 blank paper.

Mauritshuis Magenta does a good job at being both vibrant and rich. In a finer nib the ink does not shade well, and has a uniform magenta color. In a broader nib the ink shades well, and with it brings a broader range of colors. The ink goes from a light fuchsia color to magenta, and even a darker plum color where the ink pools. I thought the broad nib brought out the more interesting colors of the ink, but it is still beautiful in a finer nib.

I’ve used a number of Akkerman inks and they all have good properties. Mauritshuis Magenta had good flow with no feathering or bleedthrough on Rhodia paper. The saturation was fairly high and the dry times normal at around 20-25 seconds. The ink did not hold up to water, washing away any indication of writing. It shaded moderately, much more in a broader nib, and clean up was easy.

I really enjoyed using Mauritshuis Magenta. It is a distinctive looking ink without looking outlandish. While it wouldn’t be work appropriate, it is certainly a fun color for all your other writing needs.

As with any ink review, the pen, paper, and person doing the writing will influence the way the ink looks. If you’re not sure about a color, try a sample to see if it’s the color for you.

Ink it Up!
Chris

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