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Commemorative inkstand
Elkington and Company - Enlarge image
Commemorative inkstand
- Place of origin:
Birmingham, England (made)
- Date:
ca. 1850 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Elkington and Company (maker)
- Materials and Techniques:
Gilt and silvered bronze, with glass lining
- Credit Line:
Given by John Leighton
- Museum number:
481&A-1901
- Gallery location:
British Galleries, room 122f, case 1
Object Type
This inkstand was probably designed as a souvenir of the Great Exhibition of 1851. The foot of the object is divided into compartments showing images linking raw materials, business and retailing with manufactures and art products. For example 'Manufactures' shows a weaver, a designer and a potter at work. Named designers in the ribbon around the edge of the foot reinforce the links to art and design, while the globe containing the inkwell adds the international dimension that the Great Exhibition was the first to exploit.
People
The inkstand was designed by the designer and illustrator John Leighton (1822-1912), who worked under the pseudonym Luke Limner. The inkstand's design originally appeared as a metal plaque on the cover of the Art Journal catalogue of the Great Exhibition. Leighton designed stained glass, ceramics and bookbindings as well as serving on the jury of the Paris Exhibition of 1878. The inkstand was made by Elkington & Co., the largest and most ambitious silversmiths in the 19th century.
Historical Associations
The inkstand commemorates the Great Exhibition of 1851 and was made by Elkington and Co., who won a coveted Council medal for the ingenious use of electricity to create works of art. The inkstand was gilded by an electric current.
