Post Your Inkwells!

[Bisquitlips]

I started a thread several years back for "Unusual Inkwells" but I guess not too many people have strange inkwells.

Let's try just inkwells! I like them all so let's see them please!

Here is one of my latest additions. A Sterling Silver British Mappin & Webb with a Waterford well: Simple and luscious. What ever happened to the days of simple pleasure such as these? Went the way of cursive writing, penmanship class in school, and vinyl records I suppose!

For those that are interested, it weighs 324 grams or just over 10 Oz without the crystal well.

[Bisquitlips]

I'll post one more.

This is a English Oak inkwell with a built in stationery cabinet. Kinda cool!

[Bisquitlips]

And one more!

[Bisquitlips]

And another one more...: :)

A Victorian Cast Iron Double Inkwell! Love the pen holders!









I have 3 or 4 of these. They drew on the Victorian cast iron construction as a way of selling them to those below the median income.

[martinr]

Gone to the dogs.

[Bisquitlips]

Originally Posted by martinr

Gone to the dogs.

Lovely!!! Thanks for sharing!

[Bisquitlips]

I am a sucker for inkwells that are unusual.

Just added this one and really appreciate the incorporated "sander" ponce that is stored inside the inkwell. The inkwells that included these generally predate 1840 (when blotting paper was introduced) or were from regions like Holland and Italy as they stubbornly hung on to the old writing tradition of using sand as a dryer.

An interesting note is that it was not uncommon to open a letter back before blotting paper and find that a bit of sand would fall out of the folded paper and envelope. For barristers back in the day the sprinkling of ponce was almost sacramental. They knew that a small amount of sand wafting out of the letter would have somewhat of an impact on the reader.

Someone liked the inkwell enough to have it engraved, but I do believe that what happened is that someone took the feminine stand alone hand blown glass inkwell / ponce and later incorporated into something more masculine with the antler. I like this one!

BTW.... I cannot imagine sending a letter today with sand coming out of the corner of an envelope. I do believe a representative of the government would be visiting shortly after the stamp had dried. What a shame as there was a time that letter writing was surrounded with beauty and decorum! Cotton paper, glorious inkwells, dip pens, breathtaking elegant calligraphy, blotters, sand, wafers, and candles.

[Jamiewabbit]

I learnt something new today Richard, thank you. So they sprinkled a bit of sand into the envelope where the letter was contained?

[Bisquitlips]

Originally Posted by Jamiewabbit

I learnt something new today Richard, thank you. So they sprinkled a bit of sand into the envelope where the letter was contained?

Hi Jamie,

No actually they would sprinkle the sand on the letter when the ink wasn't completely dry and inadvertently some of the sand would get into the envelope from the letter.

[KKB]

Originally Posted by Bisquitlips

I started a thread several years back for "Unusual Inkwells" but I guess not too many people have strange inkwells.

Let's try just inkwells! I like them all so let's see them please!

Here is one of my latest additions. A Sterling Silver British Mappin & Webb with a Waterford well: Simple and luscious. What ever happened to the days of simple pleasure such as these? Went the way of cursive writing, penmanship class in school, and vinyl records I suppose!

For those that are interested, it weighs 324 grams or just over 10 Oz without the crystal well.

Congratulations on your acquisition, Richard. Luscious is not a term I would have thought use to describe an inkwell, but in the case of that gorgeous piece I think it applies perfectly.

I have a Tiffany Venetian brass inkwell like this one. (Mine is packed away in boxes since we moved recently so I can't get a picture of it)

I got it from my parents, who kept it on a table in the living room. In the 1960s they used it to hold cigarettes, so believe it or not, until just a few years ago I thought it was a cigarette case! I recently bought my first piston-fill fountain pen, so when I get around to unpacking, my inkwell will assume it's intended place: on my desk and filled with ink!

[Bisquitlips]

Hey Eric!

If your inkwell is indeed a Tiffany Venetian, and I have no reason to doubt it is, I would be excited to own one for my collection. Especially with some family history behind it!

Handcrafted and beautiful!

[Bisquitlips]

And thanks to Eric I now have a Venetian Starter Set! Just need the inkwell next!

[TheRolexKingofLV]

Wow...those are stunning! Amazing craftsmanship. Gorgeous.

[Bisquitlips]

Thanks Trace!

You are correct. The craftsmanship is world class.

[Lion]

Richard, I always enjoy your posts and the history we learn from these by gone days. I was surprised to learn a couple of years ago that here in the United States they no longer teach Cursive Writing in the grade schools!!!