Inkstand

Object Type
Before the advent of the ballpoint pen, typewriters and computers, a utensil for holding ink, pens and wafers (for sealing letters) was essential on the desk.

Design
The inkstand design illustrates a style known as naturalism, which uses nature as the basis of the ornament. Love of nature was one of the most universal and respected sentiments in the 19th century. In addition the revival of interest in historical styles, particularly the Rococo of the 18th century, with its playful use of natural forms, increased the enthusiasm for employing nature as a decorative device on art objects. Naturalism was widespread and promoted as a good stylistic model by some design reformers such as Henry Cole (1808-1882), the first Director of the V&A. Cole, through the art schools under his control, emphasised the importance of appropriate decoration, subservient to an object's function. At its best naturalism could be strikingly original, but in some cases the form and function were lost in decorative excess.

It has also been suggested that the design here may be symbolic. The blighted national oak may refer to the activities in England of the Orange Order, of which Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and later King of Hanover, was a member. This extreme right-wing group campaigned against the Reform Bill of 1832, which rationalised the electorate for the House of Commons, addressing inequalities in representation between rural areas (controlled by the nobility) and the more heavily populated new industrial areas.

Manufacturers
Joseph and John Charles Angell, the manufacturers of this inkstand, ran a successful London silversmithing business. They won prizes at the Great Exhibition of 1851, the New York International Exhibition of 1853 and the International Exhibition of 1862.