Inkstand
late 18th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Silver inkstands appeared in Britain in the 17th century. They usually included several features. There was a pot, or well, for ink. Another pot with a pierced cover held ‘pounce’ or sand, which writers scattered over the paper to fix the ink. There was a box for wafers to seal the finished letter, and a tray to hold the pens or quills. By the 18th century, designs were often simpler, particularly for inkstands made in Sheffield plate.
Thomas Boulsover developed Sheffield plate in about 1742. He fused bars of silver and copper, in unequal proportions, by heating them under pressure. The resulting material could be rolled into sheets of laminated metal and worked like silver. The Sheffield plate industry flourished for approximately one hundred years until electroplating superseded it in the 1840s.
Thomas Boulsover developed Sheffield plate in about 1742. He fused bars of silver and copper, in unequal proportions, by heating them under pressure. The resulting material could be rolled into sheets of laminated metal and worked like silver. The Sheffield plate industry flourished for approximately one hundred years until electroplating superseded it in the 1840s.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 5 parts.
|
| Materials and techniques | Sheffield plate |
| Brief description | Inkstand and candlestick, Sheffield plate, late 18th century, English |
| Physical description | Circular pedestal with fluted side forms the inkstand; the pounce box chased with a ribbon and laurel leaf pendants, fits on to the top of the inkstand, and is surmounted by a vase shaped candlestick with nozzle and cap stamped with foliage and vertical bands of flowers, pearled edges. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Production type | Mass produced |
| Production | Reason For Production: Retail |
| Summary | Silver inkstands appeared in Britain in the 17th century. They usually included several features. There was a pot, or well, for ink. Another pot with a pierced cover held ‘pounce’ or sand, which writers scattered over the paper to fix the ink. There was a box for wafers to seal the finished letter, and a tray to hold the pens or quills. By the 18th century, designs were often simpler, particularly for inkstands made in Sheffield plate. Thomas Boulsover developed Sheffield plate in about 1742. He fused bars of silver and copper, in unequal proportions, by heating them under pressure. The resulting material could be rolled into sheets of laminated metal and worked like silver. The Sheffield plate industry flourished for approximately one hundred years until electroplating superseded it in the 1840s. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.177-1912 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | September 23, 2002 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
