Inkstand
ca. 1880 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Object Type
Inkstands were an essential and functional part of desk furniture. In the 1880s, typewriters were just coming into use in offices in England, but at home ink and fountain pens remained the most important elements of writing equipment for many years. This inkstand has two ink pots to hold the ink and a tray for pens at the front. The sentimental subject of a figure of cupid presenting a letter and the highly decorative taste of the inkstand may indicate that it was made to appeal to a female consumer.
Time
The inkstand is of highly ornate Rococo form. The Rococo Revival style was very popular throughout the 19th century and by the 1880s it dominated commercial manufacture, especially in silver and gilt metal.
Inkstands were an essential and functional part of desk furniture. In the 1880s, typewriters were just coming into use in offices in England, but at home ink and fountain pens remained the most important elements of writing equipment for many years. This inkstand has two ink pots to hold the ink and a tray for pens at the front. The sentimental subject of a figure of cupid presenting a letter and the highly decorative taste of the inkstand may indicate that it was made to appeal to a female consumer.
Time
The inkstand is of highly ornate Rococo form. The Rococo Revival style was very popular throughout the 19th century and by the 1880s it dominated commercial manufacture, especially in silver and gilt metal.
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | Gilt brass, with brass and glass liners |
Brief description | Ormolu, France or England, ca.1880. |
Dimensions |
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Marks and inscriptions | The number '1806' has been scratched on the base of the stand and on the metal ink liners |
Gallery label | British Galleries:
The curving scrolls and rock and shell forms on this inkstand had been popular motifs of the Rococo Style in France and Britain between 1730 and 1760. When the Victorians revived the style it was sometimes referred to as the Louis XV style, after the French king who was on the throne when it was first fashionable.(27/03/2003) |
Credit line | Bequeathed by R. E. Jerome |
Object history | Jerome Bequest |
Summary | Object Type Inkstands were an essential and functional part of desk furniture. In the 1880s, typewriters were just coming into use in offices in England, but at home ink and fountain pens remained the most important elements of writing equipment for many years. This inkstand has two ink pots to hold the ink and a tray for pens at the front. The sentimental subject of a figure of cupid presenting a letter and the highly decorative taste of the inkstand may indicate that it was made to appeal to a female consumer. Time The inkstand is of highly ornate Rococo form. The Rococo Revival style was very popular throughout the 19th century and by the 1880s it dominated commercial manufacture, especially in silver and gilt metal. |
Collection | |
Accession number | M.3-1994 |
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Record created | March 27, 2003 |
Record URL |
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