Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Medieval & Renaissance, Room 62, The Foyle Foundation Gallery

Inkstand

1550-1600 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Venice (made)

This is a triangular bronze inkstand, made in Venice in the second half of the 16th century. Italian Renaissance bronze sculptures have survived in reasonable numbers. The majority of these works were made not only for their aesthetic appeal but also as functional objects. Here a statuette representing Hope enlivens an inkstand - an essential piece of equipment for a scholar's study.


Object details

Categories
Sculpture
Household Objects
Object type
Inkstand
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Inkstand
  • Inkstand
Materials and techniques
Bronze
Brief description
Inkstand, bronze, triangular and in two parts depicting the figure of Hope, Italy (Venice), late 16th century
Physical description
Bronze triangular inkstand supported on three lions holding shields, surmounted by the figure of Hope.
Dimensions
  • Height: 26cm
  • Maximum width: 16cm
  • Depth: 13cm
  • Weight: 1.6kg
Measured for the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries
Object history
Ex Soulages collection, bought by the Museum for £20 in 1865.
Subjects depicted
Lions (Animals)
Shields (Armor)
Anchors (Watercraft Equipment)
Hope
Summary
This is a triangular bronze inkstand, made in Venice in the second half of the 16th century. Italian Renaissance bronze sculptures have survived in reasonable numbers. The majority of these works were made not only for their aesthetic appeal but also as functional objects. Here a statuette representing Hope enlivens an inkstand - an essential piece of equipment for a scholar's study.
Bibliographic references
  • Penny, Nicholas. Catalogue of European Sculpture in the Ashmolean Museum 1540 to the Present Day. Oxford: Clarendon press, 1992, (3 vols), Volume 1: Italian, p. 285
  • Inventory of Art Objects acquired in the Year 1865. Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol. 1. London : Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 29
Collection
Sculpture Collection
Accession number
567&A-1865

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Record createdNovember 17, 2004
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O107324/inkstand-unknown/
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