Vintage French Empire Bronze Hunting Dog Marble Base Desk Pen Holder
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Vintage French Empire Bronze Hunting Dog Marble Base Desk Pen Holder. Circa Mid 20th Century.
Marble
French Inkstand and Pen Holder with Dog in Kennel and Boy
Located in London, GB
An attractive and unusual patinated bronze inkwell of a child feeding his dog which is chained to its kennel. The top of the kennel lifts off to reveal the porcelain inkwell within. ...
Bronze
Bronze inkwell and pen holder, a dachshund dog, by Anton Puchegger, Austria 1890
By Anton Puchegger
Located in Milan, IT
Bronze desktop inkwell with pen holder, depicting the head of a dachshund. The sculpture rests on a curved base in red Verona marble, which also houses the brass ink container. Signe...
Marble, Brass, Bronze
Black Forest Carved Dog Inkwell
By Black Forest
Located in Coeur d'Alene, ID
Swiss carved black Forest shaggy dog inkwell with pen holder. In the 1800’s the wood carving industry of Switzerland started in the town of Brienz.
Wood
Black Forest Dog Inkwell and Pen Holder, Circa 1900
By Black Forest
Located in Forest Row, East Sussex
Black Forest dog inkwell and pen holder. A young dog with his paws on a piece of bark peering over the edge.
Wood
Marble and Brass Art Deco Period Desk Pen Holder with Terrier Dog
Located in New York, NY
A substantial marble and brass Art Deco period desk pen holder with terrier dog, circa 1930s-1940s.
Marble, Brass
Whether you’ve carved out a space for a nifty home office or you prefer the morning commute, why not dress up your desk with antique and vintage desk accessories? To best tiptoe the line between desk efficiency and desk enjoyment, we suggest adding a touch of the past to your modern-day space.
Desks are a funny thing. Their basic premise has remained the same for quite literally centuries: a flat surface, oftentimes a drawer, and potentially a shelf or two. However, the contents that lay upon the desk? Well, the evolution has been drastic to say the least.
Thank the Victorians for the initial popularity of the paperweight. The Industrial Revolution offered the novel concept of leisure-time to Europeans, giving them more time to take part in the then crucial activity of letter writing. Decorative glass paperweight designs were all the rage, and during the mid-19th-century some of the most popular makers included the French companies of Baccarat, St. Louis and Clichy.
As paper was exceedingly expensive in the early to mid-19th-century, every effort was made to utilize a full sheet of it. Paper knives, which gave way to the modern letter opener, were helpful for cutting paper down to an appropriate size.
Books — those bound volumes of paper, you may recall — used to be common occurrences on desks of yore and where there were books there needed to be bookends. As a luxury item, bookend designs have run the gamut from incorporating ultra-luxurious materials (think marble and Murano glass) to being whimsical desk accompaniments (animal figurines were highly popular choices).
Though the inkwell’s extinction was ushered in by the advent of the ballpoint pen (itself quasi-obsolete at this point), there is still significant charm to be had from placing one of these bauble-like objets in a central spot on one’s desk. You may be surprised to discover the mood-boosting powers an antique — and purposefully empty — inkwell can provide.
The clamor for desk clocks arose as the Industrial Revolution transitioned labor from outdoors to indoors, and allowed for the mass-production of clock parts in factories. Naturally, elaborate designs soon followed and clocks could be found made by artisans and luxury houses like Cartier.
Find antique and vintage desk accessories today on 1stDibs.
The French sculptor shaped dense blocks into tactile forms meant to be used and held.
After synthetic dyes changed fashion, home goods and printed matter, it was only a matter of time till glass caught up.
The brilliantly simple design turns a modest bouquet into a major statement.
The Greek tragedian is said to have been handsome in his day.
Even for those who don’t indulge, elegant smoking accessories and audacious art portraying cigar enthusiasts hold a nostalgic allure.
It’s an excellent example of the sought-after ceramics coming out of South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal province.
Thanks to its new leadership, the Spanish maker of figurines, busts and lighting is on a mission to update the art of porcelain for the 21st century.
The free-form stoneware piece is inspired by the magnolia tree and its associations with home.