By the 1720s specialised writing furniture and the small accessories associated with it were firmly established as luxury goods, which could display the status and learning of the owners. A gentleman might employ secretaries to write out letters and other documents to his dictation, but it was essential that his own tools for writing were both elegant and efficient. Large inkstands such as this one allowed for all the necessary equipment to be kept together. The semi-circular trough at the front could hold quill pens, while the three compartments at the back held (from left to right) ink in a glass pot, a sponge (for wiping the end of the pen if blobs threatened) and a pot for 'pounce' or powdered sandarac (a resin), which was sprinkled over the writing to prevent runs. At this time, gentlemen were often shown in portraits at work at their desks, with luxurious inkstands to hand. This one, veneered in boulle marquetry of horn backed with blue pigment and inlaid with brass, may well have matched the writing table for which it was first made.