Inkstand
1832-1833 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
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.
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.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Materials and techniques | Silver gilt, with chased, cast and applied decoration |
| Brief description | Silver-gilt, glass liners, London hallmarks for 1832-33, mark of Joseph and John Charles Angell |
| Physical description | Inkstand with glass liners, silver-gilt, in the form of a tree stump with three branches, the surface chased to a simuklate the appearence of bark. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Made in London by the firm of Joseph & John Charles Angell |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | 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. |
| Bibliographic reference | Church, Rachel (2014) Writing Equipment and Women in Europe 1500–1900, Women's Writing, 21:3, 385-404, fig. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.25-1979 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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