Desk Accessories
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Desk Accessories For Sale
Carl Aubock Art-Deco Salt and Pepper Shaker Set, Pre-War Production, Early 1930s
Located in Vienna, AT
Art-Deco Salt and pepper shaker set. Prewar production - very early 30s.
The body of the shakers (apple and pear) is made of coloured Bakelite, the stems are of silver plated brass....
Category
1930s Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver Plate, Brass
Desk Accessories, Letter Holder by Le Tanneur, Paris
By Le Tanneur
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Desk accessories, letter holder by Le Tanneur, Paris, in the traditions of French big houses like Lancel or Dior.
Category
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Leather
Sterling Silver-Mounted Pairpoint "Controlled Bubbles" Crystal Inkwell
Located in New York, NY
Sterling silver-mounted, Pairpoint "controlled bubbles" crystal inkwell, Goodnow & Jenks, Boston, circa 1890s-1900. Monogrammed (script, interlocking HLL?) sterling silver lid has se...
Category
19th Century American Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Crystal, Sterling Silver
19th Century Bronze Sculpture "The Letter"
Located in Rochester, NY
Antique bronze sculpture of man reading a letter or proclamation. Marble base, 19th century. Unsigned.
Category
19th Century European Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Fratelli Toso Murano Millefiori Flower Butterfly Italian Art Glass Paperweights
Located in Kissimmee, FL
Priced individually (3 designs available as shown). Beautiful vintage Murano hand blown Italian art glass paperweights. Documented to the Fratelli Toso Company. The first has concent...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Sommerso, Murrine
Roycroft Arts & Crafts Hammered Brass Over Copper Letter Rack
By Roycroft
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous Arts & Crafts period brass finished hand hammered copper letter rack
By Roycroft (signed with impressed orb and cross mark)
USA, Early 20th Century
Measures: 4.75"W x 2...
Category
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass, Copper
Stylized Frog Sculpture / Paperweight by Baccarat
By Baccarat
Located in San Diego, CA
Gorgeous stylized frog sculpture / paperweight by Baccarat, circa 1990s. The piece is in excellent condition with no visible imperfections and has great clarity. Signed on the unders...
Category
Late 20th Century French Desk Accessories
Materials
Crystal
Back Light Chess Board with Cubic Colorful Chess Pieces
Located in Naucalpan, Edo de Mex
This chess belongs to the Board Games collection designed by Orfeo Quagliata.
Exclusive techniques from the artist. 100% handmade with highest quality m...
Category
2010s Mexican Desk Accessories
Materials
Art Glass
Michael Jackson Opus Large Collector Table Book
By Opus Canada
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Michael Jackson Opus Large heavy collector coffee table book.
"The Official Michael Jackson Opus" is the definitive publication about the ‘King of...
Category
Early 2000s American Hollywood Regency Desk Accessories
Materials
Paper
Murano Mushroom Toadstool Art Glass Paperweight Green Gold and Pink 1980s
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Murano Style Italian Art Glass Mushroom Toadstool Paperweight Pink, Gold Murine, Green and White 1980s.
Beautiful vintage Murano style hand made pink with gold, green and white spots...
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Desk Accessories
Materials
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
French Cane or Walking Stick Exotic Wood and Silver, circa 1900
Located in Labrit, Landes
French walking stick or cane, circa 1900
Mahogany and silver
Shipping:
2/2/87 cm 0.2 kg.
Category
Early 1900s French Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver, Brass
Sculpture of a Stylized Cat Designed by Livio Seguso ca. 1970s
Located in Berghuelen, DE
Sculpture of a Stylized Cat Designed by Livio Seguso ca. 1970s
A cute sculpture of a stylized cat in smoke grey glass. Hand made in the Gral glass manufactory, Germany. It was desig...
Category
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Art Glass
Carl Auböck Model #8040-1 Polished Brass Knob
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #8040-1 polished brass knob.
Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese knob is executed in polished brass b...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Art deco Rare Bronze & Copper Letter & Pen Desk top Holder
Located in San Diego, CA
Rare & classic design on this patinated and bronze skyscraper style, art Deco letter & pen desk top holder great design .
Category
20th Century American Art Deco Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze, Copper
Erik Nielsen, Royal Copenhagen Porcelain Lobster and Shoal Card Vide Poche #485
Located in Rothley, Leicestershire
Erik Nielsen for Royal Copenhagen underglazed porcelain card tray dish with lobster and shoal.
A superb example of Nielsen's creativity
circa 1962
Sig...
Category
Early 20th Century Danish Art Deco Desk Accessories
Materials
Porcelain
Antique Engineer's Letter Punch Set, English, Beech, Steel, Engraving, Victorian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique engineer's letter punch set. An English, beech and steel tool engraving block, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1900.
Delight...
Category
Late 19th Century British Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Beech
Italian Photo Frame Handmade Wood, Double Heart
Located in Sarezzo, IT
Double Heart is a unique arge Italian hand crafted wood double photo frame by sculptor Massimo Pasini.
Wood is a very warm material and it is very m...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Wood
Botanical Lampwork "Blue Flower" Paperweight by Allan Scott for Caithness Glass
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A fine upright botanical glass lampwork paperweight.
By Caithness Glass / WhiteFriars.
Entitled: "Blue Flower."
Designed by Allan Scott.
Depicting ...
Category
Early 2000s British Desk Accessories
Materials
Art Glass
Italian Postmodern Wall Perpetual Calendar by Della Beffa for Ring a Date, 2000s
Located in MIlano, IT
Italian postmodern Wall perpetual calendar by Giorgio Della Beffa for Ring A Date, 2000-2010s
Iconic and elegant wall perpetual calendar in yellow plast...
Category
Early 2000s Italian Space Age Desk Accessories
Materials
Plastic
American Brass Miniature Carriage Clock with Beveled Glass, New York. C. 1850
By James Mix
Located in Charleston, SC
American brass miniature carriage clock with beveled glass, carrying handle , and signed enamel over copper face with dial. Clock consists of time, strike,...
Category
1850s American American Classical Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass, Copper, Enamel
Set of Old Bound Books, 19th Century
Located in Beuzevillette, FR
Set of old books dating from the 19th century. From an old protestant library near Le Havre in France. These books are entitled "Histoire du protestantisme français" (History of Fren...
Category
19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Leather, Paper
Pierre Giraudon clock parts in lucite , 1970’s France
Located in Delft, NL
Pierre Giraudon clock parts in lucite , 1970’s France
Dimensions: 13,5cm H, 6,5cm W, 5cm D
Condition: Mint
Designer: Pierre Giroudon
Origin: France
Period: 1970’s
Category
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass
1960s Libelle Streamline Table and Wall Fan by Schoeller & Co. Made in Germany
By Siemens
Located in München, DE
Fantastically beautiful original 1950s Streamline table and wall fan by Schoeller & Co.
Model "Libelle". Made in Germany. Very good condition.
Stepl...
Category
1950s German Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal
Pierre Cardin Sterling Letter Holder
Located in Los Angeles, CA
PIerre Cardin dark blue upholstered letter holder with sterling silver / made in France
Original mark on the front
Length: 9 inches / Width: 4.5 inches / Height: 4 inches
1 available...
Category
Late 20th Century French Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver
Art Glass Fish in the Ocean Aquarium Bubbles Paperweight 1960s
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Art Glass Fish in the Ocean Aquarium Bubbles Paperweight 1960s.
The vintage Art Glass orange fish with bubbles paperweight is a stunning piece that encapsulates the beauty of underwater life in intricate detail.
Very unique and rare shaped Art Glass Murano tyle paperweight depicting an ocean scene or an aquarium with fish...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Art Deco centerpiece alpaca with original glass around 1920s
Located in Wien, AT
Art Deco centerpiece alpaca with original glass around 1920s
Alpaca polished
Original glass
Category
1920s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Silver Gilt and Full Radial Guilloche Enamel Singing Bird Box with Original Key
Located in London, GB
A sublime silver gilt and full radial guilloche enamel with highlights, singing bird box, with original silver and enamel key and original leather carry case. When wound and the bird-form start/stop button actuated, the magic starts immediately with the bird lid...
Category
1920s Austrian Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver, Enamel
19th Century Sewing Box by Maison Aucoc, Paris
By A. Aucoc
Located in Paris, FR
Late 19th century oval sewing box decorated with crowned monogram. The case contains five gold and steel sewing utensils embellished with small flowers. Labeled on the inside: AUCOC A PARIS. Weight: 27.6 g,
circa 1860
Dimension: W 4.5 in, D 2.4in, H .8in.
Dimension: L 11.5cm, P 6cm, H 2cm.
La Maison Aucoc...
Category
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Gold, Steel
1980s Op-Art Multi Colored Lucite Sculpture of a Circle, Triange & Rectangle
Located in St. Louis, MO
In the style of Vasa Mihich or Shlomi Haziza, 1980s sculpture colored beveled shapes made of acrylic or lucite with pink circle, yellow triangle, teal rectangle on a purple base. Thi...
Category
1980s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Lucite
Pair of Regency Bronze Figures of Reclining Whippets on Green Marble Bases
By Thomas Weeks
Located in Stamford, CT
Pair of English Regency bronze whippets or greyhounds on verdi antico marble book form bases, after a model by Thomas Weeks. Each dog sculpture is beautifully cast with their individual personalities.
6 inches high 5 wide 5 deep including bases.
These whippets are resonant of the early nineteenth-century work of Thomas Weeks (d. 1834) who established a 'Royal Mechanical Museum' or emporium in Tichbourne Street in about 1797. The attractions included various animated animals and insects, ingenious clocks, musical instruments, elaborate temples, toys and other such peculiarities that appealed to the London public in the late 18th and early 19th Century (C. Gilbert, 'Some Weeks cabinets reconsidered', The Connoisseur, May 1971...
Category
Early 19th Century European Regency Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Massive Art Nouveau Bronze Poseidon Inkwell, by Hans Müller
By Hans Muller
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Massive Art Nouveau Bronze Poseidon Inkwell, by Hans Müller
Austrian, circa 1900.
Behold the Art Nouveau Bronze Poseidon Inkwell, a masterpiece attributed to the skilled hands of Ha...
Category
Late 19th Century Belle Époque Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Large Victorian Period Sterling Silver-Mounted Controlled Bubbles Inkwell
Located in New York, NY
Large, Victorian period, sterling silver-mounted controlled bubbles crystal inkwell with hinged lid, Boston, circa 1895, Bigleow ,Kennard and Co. makers. Measures: 3 3/4 inches high ...
Category
1890s American Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Crystal, Sterling Silver
Handsome Collection of 16 19th Century English Walking Sticks, Some with Daggers
Located in Buchanan, MI
Handsome collection of 16 19th century English walking sticks, some with daggers. Priced Per walking stick.
Category
19th Century English George III Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
1990s Gorgeous Swatch Twin Phone "Deluxe" With The Original Box. Memphis Style
Located in Milano, IT
1990s Gorgeous Swatch twin phone "Deluxe" in excellent condition with the original box. It works perfectly. Memphis style. It was an icon for its ama...
Category
1990s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Plastic
Hand-Carved Wooden and Glass Inkwell with Dog Figure, 1920s
Located in Barntrup, DE
Beautiful Black Forest style hand-carved linden wood inkwell with a realistic dog figure with glass eyes. The stand includes a designated rest for pens and accessories in the front, ...
Category
1920s Swiss Black Forest Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass, Wood
19th Century French Art Nouveau Brass and Bone Letter Opener
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Acquired in Paris, this lovely Brass and bone art nouveau letter opener has a beautiful patina that will give your desk or work space a new sense of sophistic...
Category
19th Century French Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Contemporary Ceramic Table Lectern Reading Desk Glazed Earthenware Black
Located in Rubi, Catalunya
Handmade stoneware table lectern manufactured at the workshop of Apparatu in Barcelona. Different clay bodys are mixed with natural fibers like corn, str...
Category
2010s Spanish Desk Accessories
Materials
Ceramic, Earthenware, Stoneware
Antique Sterling Silver Victorian Desk Stand Fluid Thermometer by H. Matthews
By H. Matthews
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
Beautiful antique Victorian thermometer. The front is made of sterling silver. This is marked with the hallmarks of Birmingham 1887 (year letter N) and the maker H. Matthews. This En...
Category
1880s British Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver
Basque Musician And Shepherd Pair Of Vases, Anne Marie Grillard, Ciboure, France
By Ciboure
Located in Rothley, Leicestershire
Super pair of typical Ciboure stoneware tapered vases by Anne Marie Grillard for Ciboure, France
Hand decorated with a shepherd tending his flock on one and an animated musician on the other
Albeit a pair, there is a minute difference in height
Circa 1966-1979
Signed A Grillard, R F Ciboure...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Ceramic
Set of 4 Pedestal Boxes in Shagreen, Shell and Bronze-Patina Brass by Kifu Paris
Located in New York, NY
The Paris based label has distinguished themselves since their launch, with their iconic use of shagreen mixed with brass and other exotic materials. All furniture is handcrafted by skilled artisans, ultimately making each piece unique, designed in Paris and produced in the Philippines.
The set of 4 pedestal boxes are the perfect home accents to add elegance and functionality to your space. These can be used as a vanity set for your bathroom, in your office to store desk...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Philippine Art Deco Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Wooden Christmas Tree Set JUNIPER – Cedar
Located in Karabağlar/Izmir, TR
The JUNIPER decorative solid handmade Christmas tree set adds warmth to your holiday theme with its minimalist and natural design. Inspired by the aesthetic form of the juniper tree,...
Category
2010s Turkish Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Wood, Cedar
Letter Holder Rack & Pen Stand Verdigris Patinated Bronze Bauhaus Era
By Ruppelwerk
Located in Bad Säckingen, DE
This exquisite Art Deco and Bauhaus-style set features a letter holder and a pencil holder, both meticulously crafted from verdigris patinated bronze or brass.
The letter holder boa...
Category
1930s German Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal, Brass, Bronze
END OF THE 19th CENTURY ENGLISH TRAVELING WRITING DESK
Located in Firenze, FI
This solid mahogany travel desk is a fine piece of English manufacture from the late 19th century. Made with high quality mahogany wood, it has an elegant and refined appearance. The...
Category
Late 19th Century English Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Leather, Wood
Tiffany Studios New York Graduate Pattern Bronze Doré Stamp Box
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous antique Arts & Crafts or Art Deco period gilt bronze "Graduate" pattern stamp box, jewelry box, or desk box
By Tiffany Studios (signed to the underside)
New York, USA, E...
Category
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Art Deco Pen Holder in Macassar Wood, Italy Desk Accessory from the 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Art Deco pen holder in Macassar wood and metal. Made in Italy in the 1930s.
An amazing piece!
An elegant piece, in excellent condition with no ...
Category
Early 20th Century Italian Art Deco Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal
L. M. Ericsson BC 2000 Telephone Made in 1900 Designed as Old Times Book Press
Located in Sweden, SE
Very rare collectible desktop telephone L. M. Ericsson model BC 2000 (Old Catalogue No. 400) for battery ringing. Exclusive and unusual design in the form of an old times book press. Framework of polished walnut. Micro-telephone RE 2002 (Old Cat. No. 520) with cord RS 7021 (Old Cat. No. 2252) and switch in the handle resting on a cradle switch, flexible cable, RS 9000 (Old Cat. No. 2084) and terminal block within Ericssons serial number that dates device on 1900 Stockholm, Sweden.
Size app.: 22.5 cm (roughly 8.9 in) high, 27 cm (roughly 10.6 in) wide, 11 cm (roughly 4.3 in) deep. Very good condition, age and usage wear plus tiny losses. Please study high-res pictures for cosmetic condition! In person actual item may appear darker or brighter than in our pictures, strictly depending on sufficient light in your environment. Weight of app. 2 kg it is going to measure some 3 kg packed for shipment.
Lars Magnus Ericsson began his association with telephones in his youth as an instrument maker. He worked for a firm which made telegraph equipment for the Swedish government agency Telegrafverket. In 1876, aged 30, he started a telegraph repair shop with help from his friend Carl Johan Andersson. The shop was in central Stockholm (No. 15 on Drottninggatan, the principal shopping street) and repaired foreign-made telephones. In 1878 Ericsson began making and selling his own telephone equipment. His phones were not technically innovative, as most of the inventions had already been made in the US. In 1878, he made an agreement to supply telephones and switchboards to Sweden's first telecom operating company, Stockholms Allmänna Telefonaktiebolag. Also in 1878, local telephone importer Numa Peterson hired Ericsson to adjust some telephones from the Bell Telephone Company. This inspired him to buy a number of Siemens telephones...
Category
1890s Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal, Brass
Italian Obelisks Pyramids Decorative Objects, Set
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful set of two (2) pyramid Obelisks, in the Modern style, circa mid-20th century, Italy. Pyramids are wood, wrapped in hand designed Italian paper; One is a combination of wh...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Plaster, Paper, Wood
Marble Brass Decorative Object or Desk Paperweight with Putti
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful and substantial marble decorative object or paperweight with brass putti and grapevine relief design, circa mid to late-20th century. This piece is a polished rectangular...
Category
Mid-20th Century European Renaissance Desk Accessories
Materials
Stone, Marble, Brass, Bronze
New Shipment of over 200 Leather Bound Books in English, Photo's Are of Sets
Located in Buchanan, MI
New shipment of over 200 leather bound books in English, photo's are of sets. Preconditioned as we fully condition all of our books before they go out. Also have an extensive collect...
Category
19th Century American George III Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Leather, Paper
Parchment Desk Pad by Gucci, 1930s Italy
By Gucci
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Incredibly rare vintage portable writing pad by Gucci circa 1930s. Parchment exterior and a wood frame, featuring brown felt underneath. Removable inset top reverses to a parchment w...
Category
1930s Italian Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Wood, Goatskin, Leather
Danish Oak Desk Office Organizer with Shelves
Located in New York, NY
A Danish modern, Scandinavian Modern, Mid-Century Modern style, blonde oak wood desk, office, library, etc., organizer with book space and paper/mail/letter tray holder shelf areas, by Pedersen & Hansen, circa late-20th century, Denmark. Three (3) horizontal and three (3) vertical storage...
Category
Late 20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Oak
Desk Accessories, Letter Holder by Jacques Adnet and Letter Tray Paper Holder
Located in Auribeau sur Siagne, FR
Handsome saddle leather letter holder by Jacques Adnet. Signature contrast stitching. Great patina to leather. Excellent vintage condition. Paris...
Category
1950s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Leather
Pair Italian Neoclassical Grand Tour Sienna Marble Souvenirs of Temple Ruins
Located in New York, NY
A very fine and early pair of Roman Neoclassical Period Grand Tour Sienna marble models of the Temple of Castor and Pollux and the temple o...
Category
1820s Italian Greco Roman Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Siena Marble
Royal Copenhagen Turquoise Crackle Glaze Tumbler Pot With Gilded Decor #3491
Located in Rothley, Leicestershire
Thorkild Olsen for Royal Copenhagen, Denmark, porcelain crackle glaze tumbler pot
Turquoise crackle glaze with gilded bands. Pale grey crackle interior
Circa 1963
Stamped and numbere...
Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Art Deco Desk Accessories
Materials
Porcelain
Postmodern Chrome Table Lighter by Sarome Japan
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Postmodern chrome table lighter.
Excellent vintage condition, works great.
Great decorative collectible rare vintage table lighter.
Lighter made by Sarome, Asia Japan.
Measure: 5.75 in H, 2.5 in D.
About Sarome:
SAROME
Japanese cigarette lighter manufacturer founded in 1940.
The brand is named after SAROME, god of flames, object of fascination for humans. SAROME artisans craft delicate, glossy lighters in Tokyo to fascinate and enchant. Though known early on in Europe mainly for our superb crafting of cigarette lighters the luxury brand spread Worldwide.
Sarome lighters...
Category
Late 20th Century Japanese Post-Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Chrome
Murano Fish Sculpture by Livio Seguso for Gral, Germany, ca. 1970ties
Located in Berghuelen, DE
A sculpture of a stylized fish in blue and pink glass. Hand made in the gral glass manufactory, Germany. Designed by Livio Seguso, ca. 1970. Incised signature of the artist (LS) on t...
Category
Mid-20th Century German Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Art Glass
Murano Hand Blown Paperweight Yellow Flower with Blue Base Collectible Art Glass
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Vintage Murano Hand Blown Paperweight Yellow Flower with Blue Collectible Art Glass.
Beautiful heavy large glass paperweight featuring yellow ...
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
Pair of Carl Auböck Model #4100 Patinated Brass Bookends
Located in Glendale, CA
Pair of Carl Auböck Model #4100 patinated brass bookends. Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural pair of bookends are executed in patinated brass.
Price is f...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
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.