Desk Accessories
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Desk Accessories For Sale
Recognized Seller Listings
Iranian Qajar Period Lacquered and Lithographed Wood Pencase
Located in London, GB
Iranian Qajar period lacquered and lithographed wood pencase.
Iranian, 19th century.
Measures: Height 4cm, width 23cm, depth 4cm.
This antique Iranian...
Category
19th Century Persian Other Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Wood
Art Deco Period Sterling Silver-Mounted Blue Enamel Letter Opener/Paper Knife
Located in New York, NY
Art Deco period, sterling silver-mounted blue enamel letter opener/paper knife, Chester, England, year-hallmarked for 1922, H.E. and F.E. Barker of Barker Brothers, Ltd - makers. Measures almost 3/4 inches deep x 1/2 inch high (at highest point when lying flat) x 8 3/4 inches long. Lovely, etched pattern on sterling silver blade...
Category
1920s English Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver, Enamel
Rare Antique English Regency Rosewood & Brass Writing Slope Box Lap Desk
Located in Shippensburg, PA
A RARE AND FINE REGENCY ROSEWOOD WRITING SLOPE
England, circa 1815; includes a circa 1849 quill by Isaac Parkes
Item # 801EZX27
An inordinately fine box, the exterior is dressed wit...
Category
1810s English Regency Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
1950s Italian Pair of Cubes by Enzo Mari for Danese Milano
Located in Sagaponack, NY
Two resin cubes, each containing a sphere, designed by Enzo Mari. Made in Italy by Danese Milano, 1950s.
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Resin
Baccarat "Victor Hugo" Crystal Inkwell
By Robert Rigot
Located in New York, NY
French midcentury (1980s-1990s) limited edition (28/450) " Victor Hugo" crystal inkwell with a six-sided shape and a cut star base (signed BACCARAT).
Baccarat Crystal has, from the...
Category
20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Crystal
French Art Nouveau Desk Table Lamp by Charles Schneider, C. 1920
Located in Toronto, Ontario
French Art Nouveau desk table lamp by Charles Schneider (Epinay-sur-Seine, Paris), France, C.1920 on stylised bronze base. The base also with concealed opening for an inkwell. The glass shade was made of blown double glass. Measures approximately 14.00 x 8.00 x 6.00 inches. Lamp shade, white, orange, and amber yellow. Signed Schneider on the shade (difficult to photograph see photos), also with signed base for probably the foundry. The Schneider Glassworks, established by brothers Charles and Ernest Schneider in Epinay-sur-Seine, France, in 1917. Very small chip to top shade fitting, see last photograph. The Schneider Glassworks, established by brothers Charles and Ernest Schneider in Epinay-sur-Seine, France, in 1917, was among the leading producers of fine-art glass between the two world wars, creating exuberantly colorful vessels...
Category
Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Sterling Silver Model of an Irish Setter
By BSE Products
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
A fine contemporary cast English sterling silver model of a setter; part of our animal related silverware collection
This fine contemporary cast sterling silver ornament...
Category
2010s English Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver
20th Century Fontana Arte Soliflore Vase Mod 2393 in Crystal, Nickeled Brass 50s
By Fontana Arte
Located in Turin, Turin
FontanaArte is an Italian company founded in Milan (as Fontana Arte) in 1932 by Luigi Fontana and Giò Ponti and specializing in glass processing and the production of furnishing accessories. It is known for working with curved crystal and producing lighting fixtures, becoming a prominent name in Italian design over the years.
Here we have a vertical "Soliflore" vase model 2393 in thick crystal and nickel-plated brass by Fontana Arte designed in 50s. This decorative object is a perfect idea for a gift (wedding, graduation, new born...
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Piero Fornasetti Zodiac Ceramic "Libra" Pebble Paperweight
Located in Downingtown, PA
Piero Fornasetti Ceramic Zodiac "Libra" Pebble Paperweight,
Original Gold Box,
1960s
This rare Piero Fornasetti Ceramic pebble paperweight in its original gold presentation box....
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Ceramic
English Victorian Hardwood Brass Mounted Standish with Single Drawer
Located in San Francisco, CA
An English brass mounted standish with a single drawer and a central handle flanked by 2 replaced inkwells. The piece is centered by a beautifully engraved brass decorative element a...
Category
1870s English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
English Victorian Novelty Sterling Silver Ruler Letter Opener
Located in New York, NY
Victorian sterling silver letter opener. Made by George Neal & George Neal in London in 1900. In form and with dimensions of a 12-inch ruler. Tapering point for getting underneath th...
Category
Early 1900s English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver
Rare Early 19th Century George IV English Porcelain Inkwell by Coalport
Located in Dublin 8, IE
Rare early 19th century George IV English porcelain inkwell by Coalport in the naturalistic form. Referred to as ‘Coalbrookdale’ this piece has been modeled in the form of a lemon fr...
Category
19th Century English Regency Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Porcelain
Victorian Gilt and Patinated Bronze Ram's Head Inkwell, 19th Century
Located in New York, NY
Fitted with candle arms in the shape of horns surmounted by a nozzle with gadrooned circular drip pans and with headdress moulded as cover opening to reveal a circular detachable gla...
Category
19th Century Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Edwardian Sterling Silver and Deep Pink Enamel-Mounted Magnifying Glass
Located in New York, NY
Edwardian, sterling silver and deep pink guilloche enamel-mounted magnifying glass, Sheffield, England, year-hallmarked for 1905, James Scholes -maker. Glass...
Category
Early 1900s English Edwardian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal, Sterling Silver, Enamel
E.F. Caldwell Champlevé Enamel and Jeweled Folio Cover, Early 20th Century
Located in New York, NY
E.F. Caldwell Champlevé Enamel and Jeweled Folio Cover, Early 20th century.
Category
Early 20th Century American Desk Accessories
Materials
Enamel
Sevres Porcelain Marbelized Gilt and Lustre Dolphin Inkwell, Dated 1832
Located in New York, NY
Marked MC-31 for Micaud.
Category
1830s French Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Porcelain
Vintage Bronze Bracelet Cuff Object with Unique Markings
Located in New York, NY
Exact origin unknown. Handsome desk accessory.
Category
Early 20th Century French Primitive Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Armor and Venus Early 19th Century French Empire Ormolu Sculpture Gilt Bronze
Located in Worpswede / Bremen, DE
This beautiful Empire bronze sculpture shows winged Amor carrying Venus, she is holding a wreath in her right hand, surrounded within a circula...
Category
Early 19th Century German Empire Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Antique American Modern Sterling Silver and Glass Inkwell on Stand
Located in New York, NY
Modern sterling silver and glass inkwell on stand, circa 1920. Lobed melon-form glass bowl; sterling silver cover domed with overlapping ovoid ring finial. stand has well and large l...
Category
Early 20th Century American Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver
Antique Glass and Sterling Silver Match Striker / Paper Weight
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive, large antique George V English sterling silver and glass match striker; an addition to our ornamenta...
Category
1910s British Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver, Silver
Marcel Bing, Art Nouveau Butterfly Inkwell in Enameled Bronze, France, 1905
By Marcel Bing
Located in New York, NY
Marcel Bing was the fourth child of Sigfried/Samuel Bing (1838-1905), the great collector of Japanese art and founder of the gallery L'Art Nouveau Bing located at 22 rue de Provence in Paris. Marcel trained as a jeweler, creating jewelry and vase mounts for the gallery and took over its management upon his father's death in 1905.
Bibliography:
- L’art appliqué revue internationale, le style moderne...
Category
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Victorian Era Inkstand with Boulle Marquetry in Ebonised Wood and Brass
Located in London, GB
Victorian era inkstand with Boulle marquetry in ebonised wood and brass
English, dated 1853
Measures: Height 17cm, width 38.5cm, depth 27.5cm
This 19th Century English inkstand ...
Category
Mid-19th Century English High Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Ochre Millefiori Glass Plate by Ercole Moretti
Located in Palm Desert, CA
An intricately detailed glass dish by Ercole Moretti with close-packed complex millefiori glass mosaic beads. The millefiori (or murrini) technique ...
Category
Early 2000s Italian Classical Roman Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Art Glass
Black Forest Carved Walnut Reclining Swiss Mountain Dog, Swiss, ca. 1880
Located in Banner Elk, NC
Black Forest Breinzware Walnut Inkwell, carved as a reclining Swiss Mountain Dog, with a hinged top, and two interior glass inkwells, Brienz, Switzerland ...
Category
1880s Swiss Black Forest Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Walnut
Tiffany Studios New York "Damascene Harp" Desk Lamp
Located in New York, NY
This desk lamp by Tiffany Studios, dating from circa 1910, features a damascene favrile glass shade on an adjustable patinated bronze harp base. With dichroi...
Category
Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Antique Victorian Sterling Silver Inkstand / Desk Standish
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
A magnificent, fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver inkstand / desk standish; an addition to our ornamental silverware collection
This magnificent, fine and impressive antique Victorian inkstand...
Category
19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver, Sterling Silver
Sculptural Antique Inkwell
Located in Sagaponack, NY
Antique cast metal sculpture of a Maltese Terrier. The hinged cover reveals a glass lift-out inkwell.
Category
Early 20th Century Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal
Japanese 19th Century Mixed Metals, Letter Opener C.1880
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Japanese 19th century mixed metals, letter opener C.1880. The letter opener brass and copper mixed metals, blade in the form of a fish, the front handle depicting mythological figure...
Category
19th Century Japanese Other Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass, Copper
Victorian Brass Inlaid Ebonised Wood Boulle Inkstand
Located in London, GB
Victorian brass inlaid ebonised wood Boulle inkstand
English, 19th century
Measures: height 12.5cm, width 38cm, depth 23.5cm
Made from ebonised wo...
Category
19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Iznik-Style Ceramic and Brass-Mounted Ink Stand
Located in London, GB
Iznik-style ceramic and brass-mounted ink stand
French, 19th Century
Height 10.5cm, width 34cm, depth 19cm
Revealing a vase and flowers contained in a border of repeating pattern-work, with two lidded inkwells flanking a central holder, this remarkable desk-piece is a very fine Iznik style inkstand, made in France in the late nineteenth century. Stylistically, it draws upon earlier Islamic...
Category
19th Century French Islamic Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
WMF Art Nouveau Jugendstil Britannia metal Photograph Frame, Germany C.1900, WMF
Located in Toronto, Ontario
WMF Art Nouveau Jugendstil Britannia metal photograph frame, Germany C.1900, WMF. Ref No 90 page 304 WMF 1906 catalogue. WMF marks B 1/0 beehive B and...
Category
Early 1900s Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Pewter
1890s, Antique Yellow Gold and Enamel Parasol Handle and Rib Tips
By Thomas Brigg & Sons
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique yellow gold and enamel parasol handle and rib tip set; an addition to our diverse enamelwork collection.
This exceptional antique parasol handle...
Category
1890s English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver, Enamel
Antique Victorian Sterling Silver Inkstand / Desk Standish
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
A magnificent, fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver inkstand / desk standish; an addition to our ornamental silverware collection
This magnificent, fine and impressive antique Victorian sterling silver inkstand / desk standish has a rectangular shaped form.
This antique inkstand is plain and embellished with chased and embossed egg decorated borders.
The surface of this exceptional example of antique silverware incorporates two elongated oval recesses, composing pen wells.
This antique hallmarked silver inkstand is supported by four impressive cast paw style feet embellished with scroll and leaf decoration in junction with the plain collet rim.
The body of the inkstand incorporates two cylindrical ink bottles flanking a central rectangular stamp box.
The impressive ink bottles are each embellished with impressive applied rams head masks conjoined with swag decoration, in addition to leaf and egg decorated borders.
Each ink bottle is surmounted with a push fit cover, allowing access to the original glass liner.
The centre of each cover is fitted with a cast silver flame decorated finial; once removed this provides a pierced hole for access to the contents of the ink bottle.
The central sterling silver stamp box...
Category
19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver, Sterling Silver
Antique Sterling Silver Inkstand, London 1901, Gallery Border
Located in London, London
Hallmarked in London in 1901 by Ernest Damant, this striking, Victorian, antique sterling silver ink stand, features shaped and pierced gallery borders, and two glass ink wells...
Category
Early 1900s English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver
George V Presentation Treasury Inkstand
Located in New Orleans, LA
This expertly crafted George V Presentation inkstand was presented to Lionel de Rothschild to commemorate the centenary of the Alliance Assurance Company. The work was forged by reno...
Category
20th Century English Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver
Carl Auböck Bookends
Located in Limhamn, Skåne län
Rare pair of bookends designed by Carl Auböck.
Category
1950s European Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Antique Silver Inkstand Inkwell, London 1899 Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Co
Located in Toronto, Ontario
Antique silver inkstand inkwell, London 1899 Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Co. Plain rectangular form on four turned feet, shaped Chippendale li...
Category
19th Century English Georgian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver
Edwardian Sterling Silver-Mounted Onyx Inkwell
Located in New York, NY
Edwardian, sterling silver - mounted onyx inkwell, Birmingham, England, year-hallmarked for 1915. Measures 3 3/4 inches wide (at widest point) x 2 1/4 inches high x 4 inches deep. So...
Category
1910s English Edwardian Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Onyx, Sterling Silver
9k Yellow Gold Horace Woodward & Co Antique Vesta Case
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique George V English 9-carat yellow gold vesta case; an addition to our boxes and cases collection.
This exceptiona...
Category
1910s British George V Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Gold
Large Sterling Silver-Mounted Controlled Bubbles Crystal Inkwell by Durgin
Located in New York, NY
Large, Edwardian-Period, sterling silver mounted controlled bubbles design crystal inkwell with hinged lid, William B. Durgin Co., Concord, New Hampshire, Ca. 1900. Measures 4 1/2 in...
Category
Early 1900s Edwardian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Crystal, Sterling Silver
John Charles Grinsell Antique Edwardian Cut Glass and Sterling Silver Inkwell
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Edwardian cut glass and English sterling silver mounted desk inkwell; part of our antique silver and glassware collection
This exceptio...
Category
Early 1900s Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver
Zanotta Cavour CM Executive Kit in Canaletto Walnut by Carlo Mollino
By Zanotta, Carlo Mollino
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Zanotta Cavour CM Executive Kit in Canaletto Walnut by Carlo Mollino
Legs in solid natural or black varnished oak, or in solid Canaletto walnut; wax-...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Desk Accessories
Materials
Walnut
Austrian Clock Holder, Granite and Steel with Picture St Stephans Dome
Located in Stockholm, SE
A beautiful and exclusive clock stand made of steel and granite. Holding a picture of the Stephans-dome. The most famous church in Wienna, Austria.
High quality craftsmanship on all...
Category
Early 19th Century Austrian Empire Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Granite, Steel
Italian Vintage Marble Eggs, Circa 1960
Located in CH
Italian vintage marble eggs, Circa 1960
Set of 10 Eggs of different colors and marble type.
The glass bowls are not included in the price.
Category
1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Marble
Swedish Table Mirror, Swedish Grace, 1920s, Signed Nils Fogstedt
Located in Stockholm, SE
A table mirror made of pewter with motives of flowers, a man, grapes and the sun. This mirror is an early example of Swedish Grace and made in the mid 1920s. It is signed N S (Nils F...
Category
1920s Swedish Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Pewter
An Ashford (Derbyshire) black marble pen tray
Located in Lymington, Hampshire
An Ashford (Derbyshire) black marble pen tray, of rectangular form with two pen trays and a small circular well centred under a bronze handle in the form entwined serpents, the pen trays decorated with inlaid pietra dura borders. English, circa 1850.
Ashford marble is a type of limestone which can be polished to a glossy black finish. It is quarried in only two sites in Derbyshire and has been used as a decorative building material since Bess of Hardwick commissioned a chimney piece of Ashford stone for Chatsworth. In the 18th century Henry Watson...
Category
1850s English Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Marble
Karl Springer Rare Adjustable Magnifying Lens in Polished Chrome 1980s
Located in New York, NY
Rare adjustable magnifying lens with beautifully crafted mount in polished chrome by Karl Springer, American 1980's.
Category
1980s American Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Chrome
Black Forest Carved Large Terrier Inkwell, Hinged Lid, Exceptional Carving
Located in Banner Elk, NC
Black Forest Breinzware Large Inkwell, carved as begging terrier with tongue protruding, with inset glass eyes, the hinged head concealing a glass inkwel...
Category
1880s Swiss Black Forest Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Softwood
Edwardian Sterling Silver and Gray Agate Letter Opener / Paper Knife
Located in New York, NY
Edwardian, sterling silver and gray agate letter opener/paper knife, Sheffield, England, year-hallmarked for 1901, Mappin and Webb - makers. The agate has d...
Category
Early 1900s English Edwardian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Agate, Sterling Silver
Black Forest Carved Terrier Inkwell, Hinged Lid, with Pen Tray, Swiss, ca. 1880
Located in Banner Elk, NC
Black Forest Breinzware Inkwell, carved as begging terrier with tongue protruding, with inset glass eyes, the hinged head concealing a glass inkwell, the dogs front paws mounted on a naturalistically carved hollowed tree forming the pen tray, Brienz, Switzerland ca. 1880.
*Jay Arenski, et al, quotes Swiss Poet Heinrich Federer, who said in his memoirs, "Woodcarving brought riches to the village [of Brienz]. It became all the fashion and no Englishman left the Bernese Highlands without having seen the Giessbach, having eaten a fat roasted eel, and having bought a Brienz woodcarving." Arenski continues, "Thus, as the tourist industry flourished and thrived, so did the carvers, selling their wares to the well-heeled visitors."
This fashion had been set in motion by Queen Victoria's visit to the area in April 1868, and by her subsequent inspiration to build a Swiss chalet at Osborne House and fill it with Black Forest Swiss carvings...
Category
1880s Swiss Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Softwood
Antique Sterling Silver Inkstand
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique George V English sterling silver inkstand; an addition to our ornamental office silverware collect...
Category
1910s British Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver
Rare Mannequin Head
Located in Greenwich, CT
A wooden mannequin head, probably a toupe stand, with good color and a well-carved idiosyncratic and compelling face, having laconic eyes and with what ...
Category
1930s German Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Beech
Victorian Glass and Sterling Silver Match Striker / Paperweight
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive, large antique Victorian English sterling silver and glass match striker, an addition to our ornamen...
Category
1890s British Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver
Walker & Hall Antique Edwardian Sterling Silver and Glass Desk Standish
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Edwardian English sterling silver and glass desk standish; an addition to our ornamental silverware collection
This magnificent antique silver desk...
Category
Early 1900s English Edwardian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver
Vintage Sterling Silver Paperweight / Model of Pig
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive vintage cast English sterling silver paperweight/model of a pig; part of our animal related silverware collection.
This exceptional, fine and impressive vintage sterling silver pig ornament/paper weight has been realistically modelled in the form of a whimsical pig, sat waving.
This cast silver ornament has been embellished with details reproducing the fine features of the pig's skin and anatomical features.
This exceptional and comical model is fitted with a leatherette covering to the underside.
This impressive example of vintage silverware...
Category
1990s English Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver
Antique Kerr American Art Nouveau Sterling Silver Bookmark
Located in New York, NY
Turn of the century Art Nouveau sterling silver bookmark. Made by William B. Kerr in Newark. Dagger blade engraved with interlaced script mono...
Category
Early 20th Century American Art Nouveau Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver
Edwardian Glass and Sterling Silver Match Striker / Paperweight
By Herbert Bushell & Co Ltd
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Edwardian English glass and sterling silver match striker.
This exceptional antique sterling silver and glass match striker has a globular form.
The surface of the medium sized glass body of this Edwardian match striker...
Category
Early 1900s English Edwardian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver
Antique Victorian Sterling Silver Inkstand / Inkwell / Desk Tidy 1871
Located in London, GB
A beautiful Antique Victorian Solid Silver Inkstand with two glass lined Inkwells with hinged lids. The base of the inkstand has a classic Greek Key pattern around the sides and rows of chased patterning on the body connected with ornate stylised acanthus leaves. The Inkwell stands on four shaped feet.
Made in Sheffield, England in 1871 by James Dixon & Sons.
Approx. Weight (Silver Only) - 1130g / 36.33oz
Approx. Length - 32.4cm
Approx. Width - 19.4cm
This Inkstand has full English Hallmarks.
This Victorian Inkstand...
Category
19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver
Antique, New and Vintage Desk Accessories
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.
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Desk Dog
Small Leather Tray
Antique Traveling Desk
Antique Travel Desk
Desks Deco English
English Art Deco Desks
Equestrian Plates
Colored Glass Desk
French Antique Inkwells
Desk Shaped Inkwell
Gold Pen Holder