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Desk Accessories For Sale
Eugène Feuillâtre "Pavot" Inkwell
Located in New York, NY
This stunning enamel, silvered metal, and gilt metal "Pavot" inkwell by Eugène Feuillâtre features peacock feather embellishments. The Inkwell lies under the gilded and silvered metal poppy seed pod lid, to which the title pavot (translated to English as poppy) refers. The vessel is vaguely pumpkin-shaped with negative space in a honeydew green, with white peacock feathers featuring purple and turquoise details. Product Details: Item #: S-21164 Artist: Eugène Feuillâtre Country: France Circa: 1900 Dimensions: 2.25" height, 3.5" diameter Materials: Enamel, Silvered Metal, Gilt Metal Signed: impressed Feuillâtre Exhibition History: Examples of this inkwell can be found in the permanent collections of Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, Geneva (inv. no. E 01500), Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (inv. no. 8746), and Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg (inv. no. 1966.1). Salon des Artistes français, 1898. Literature: L. Bénédite, et. al., "Exposition Universelle de 1900: Les Beaux-Arts et les Arts Decoratifs," Gazette des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1900, p. 510 (for a related example). H. Frantz, "E. Feuillatre, Emailleur," L’Art Décoratif, no. 28, Paris, January 1901, p. 166 (for a related example). C. Saunier, "Céramique, Verrerie, Émail," L’Art Décoratif, no. 34, Paris, July 1901, p. 155 (for a related example). R. Marx, La Décoration et les Industries d'Art à l'Exposition Universelle de 1900, Paris, 1901, p. 95 (for a related example). M. P. Verneuil, "L'Émail et les Émailleures," Art et Décoration, no. 2, Paris, February 1904, pp. 37-39 (for a related example). M. Rheims, L'Objet 1900, Paris, 1964, p. 34, no. 18 (for a related example). P. Garner, ed., The Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts 1890-1940, New York, 1978, p. 95 (for a related example). Die Jugendstil - Sammlung: Band 1: Künstler A-F, exh. cat., Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, 1979, pp. 465-466, cat. no. 655. A. Duncan, The Paris Salons 1895-1914, Volume V: Objets d'Art & Metalware, Suffolk, 1994, p. 252 (for related examples). G. de Bartha, L'Art 1900: La Collection Neumann, New York, 1994, p. 128 (for a related example). J. T. Busch and C. L. Futter, Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851-1939, exh. cat., Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, 2012, p. 196, no. 9 (for a related example). Macklowe Gallery Curator's Notes: Eugène Feuillâtre’s career began in René Lalique’s enamelling...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Desk Accessories

Materials

Metal, Enamel

Sterling Silver Equestrian Letter Opener by Hermes Paris
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Sterling Silver Equestrian Letter Opener by Hermes Paris Beautiful letter opener with a horse head handle and decorated with vertical lines towards the tip, signed on the bottom. Mea...
Category

20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Sterling Silver

19th Century Parakeet Perch Inkwell Candlesticks: Ink 'n' Perch Delight!
Located in New York, NY
These exquisite 19th-century bronze parakeet on perch candlestick inkwells showcase the fine craftsmanship of the era. Each inkwell features a beautifully designed parakeet with a hi...
Category

19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Wonderful Crystal Daum Pate De Verre Papillon Butterfly On Leaf Flower Sculpture
By Daum
Located in Roslyn, NY
A Wonderful Crystal Daum Pate De Verre Papillon Butterfly Perched On A Leaf & Flower Sculpture Paperweight
Category

20th Century French Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Crystal

Vintage Romeo Rega Signed Brass and Chrome-Plated Checkers Game Italian Restored
Located in North Miami, FL
This ultra chic and modern signed vintage Italian Romeo Rega vintage checkers game has sculptural components. It is great just even as a decorative ob...
Category

1970s Italian Modern Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass, Stainless Steel, Chrome

Russian 1915 Moscow Nephrite Jade Desk Picture Frame Mounted in Gilded Silver
Located in Miami, FL
Nephrite jade and gilded silver desk frame. Beautiful neo classic desk picture frame, created in Moscow Russia, back in the 1915. Carefully crafted in the Russian imperial and Louis XVI style, with solid gilded silver, translucent nephrite green jade...
Category

1910s Russian Neoclassical Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Jade, Silver

Rare Pair of Georgian Dresser Stools
Located in Greenwich, CT
Very fine and rare pair of George II period mahogany dresser stools, the single board tops of dense mahogany with thumb molded edge over scalloped trestle ends with boarded sides. V...
Category

1750s Great Britain (UK) George II Antique Desk Accessories

Vintage Antonio Grediaga Kieff Bronze Abstract Sculpture
Located in North Miami, FL
This sensual and amazing small edition bronze sculpture is by the noted and prolific Canadian sculptor: Antonio Grediaga Kieff. It is abstract and ch...
Category

1980s Canadian Modern Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Black Polished Box for 20 Pens with Suede and Leather Detail
Located in New York, NY
Black polished wooden pen box with anti-tarnish suede and leather handles for your collection of writing instruments.
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Suede, Wood

Mid Century Carved Rock Crystal Crane Pair with Orange Calcite and Marble Base
Located in Toronto, ON
A stunning mid century pair of mineral cranes, carved from quartz / rock crystal, with brass legs and beaks, and mounted on a base of orange calcite and...
Category

1950s American Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Rock Crystal

Tiffany Studios New York Graduate Pattern Bronze Letter Rack
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous antique Arts & Crafts or Art Deco period bronze "Graduate" pattern desk letter holder rack with verdigris green patina By Tiffany Studios (signed to the underside) New Y...
Category

Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Brian Lonsway Paperweight, Toledo OH, American Art Studio Glass, 1980
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Vintage sculptural art glass paperweight features a free-flowing central core of light amber glass and controlled bubbles, enclosed in clear glass in sommerso technique. Reflective ...
Category

Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Glass, Art Glass, Sommerso

Antique Japanese Hirado Porcelain Ink Pot Well Scholar Table, 19th Cen
Located in Amsterdam, Noord Holland
Lovely and very detailed piece. Rare. Similar pieces are pictured in "Louis Lawrence : Hirado Prince of Porcelains. Lid not original. Additional information: Material: Porcelain & ...
Category

19th Century Japanese Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Porcelain

French Louis XVI Style Bronze Ormolu and Rouge Marble Inkwell By Susse Frères
Located in Swedesboro, NJ
Dimensions - H: 7 3/4 in W: 8 1/2 in D: 8 1/2 in A superb example of late 19th century French craftsmanship, this French Louis XVI Style Bronze Ormolu and Rouge Marble Inkwell by ...
Category

19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Marble, Bronze, Ormolu

Antique Victorian Betjemann's Self Closing Coromandel Book Slide
Located in Norwood, NJ
This is a high quality antique Victorian Coromandel self closing adjustable book slide, circa 1860 in date. It features a pair of oval Sevres style plaques depicting cherubs at pl...
Category

Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Art Deco Pewter Desk Set by Carl-Einar Borgström for Ystad Tenn, Sweden, 1930s
Located in Staffanstorp, SE
An elegant and rare 4-piece desk set designed by Carl-Einar Borgström for Ystad Tenn, Sweden. Executed in pewter with details in Bakelite, this Art Deco set includes: – Inkwell stan...
Category

1930s Swedish Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Pewter

Italian Mid-Century Modern Glass Vase
Located in Copenhagen, K
Smoked rifled brown tinted glass vase.
Category

1920s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Art Glass

Mid-20h Century Golden Brass and Leather Letter Opener/Knife by Hermès, France
Located in North Miami, FL
Mid-20h century golden brass and leather letter opener/knife by the luxury design house Hermès Paris, France By: Hermès Paris Material: metal, brass, leather, copper, zinc Technique...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Metal, Brass, Copper, Zinc

Yonel Lebovici "Ressort" Letter Holder, Nickel, Steel, Signed
Located in New York, NY
Yonel Lebovici Ressort letter holder, steel signed. Small scale letter holder in a matte brushed nickel steel finish. Produced in a limited edition of 500 by Distrimex in 1969. Retai...
Category

1960s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Stainless Steel

French Patinated Bronze Cherub Sculpture, Signed by Auguste Moreau
Located in New York, NY
A fabulous and large sized Louis XVI style patinated bronze sculpture of a cherub, signed by Auguste Moreau, titled "Amour Sifflant". This is a fabulous piece that has been crafted b...
Category

Early 1900s French Louis XVI Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Rare Important Estate Heavy Italian Millefiori Flower Floral Glass Paperweight
Located in New York, NY
The Following Item that we are Offering is A Beautiful and Rare Exquisite Large Heavy Italian Millefiori Floral Glass Paperweight with Outstanding Glass Blown Detail in Glass!!! Outs...
Category

20th Century Italian Desk Accessories

Materials

Art Glass

Vintage Mid-Century Wood Plank Bookends
Located in San Diego, CA
Unique and simply exceptional pair of vintage bookends. Deriving on the uniqueness of the wood grain, these bookends are elegant and modernist. Simple lines contrast with organic pat...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Wood

Vintage Mid-Century Wood Plank Bookends
Vintage Mid-Century Wood Plank Bookends
$204 Sale Price / set
20% Off
Mid Century Trio of Italian Brass and Glass Crane Bird Sculptures
Located in Toronto, ON
This spectacular trio of mid-century brass and glass crane sculptures is a true testament to timeless design and craftsmanship. The cranes are beautifully constructed, with each piec...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass

Vintage Draughtsman's Set, German, Drawing Instruments, Riefler, circa 1950
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is a vintage draughtsman's set. A German, nickel silver drawing instrument set by Riefler, dating to the mid-20th century, circa 1950. Nine...
Category

Mid-20th Century German Desk Accessories

Materials

Nickel

Art Nouveau French Letter Opener, w/ Beautiful Girl, ca. 1900
Located in Petaluma, CA
We believe this to be the best letter opener we have ever offered, especially if art nouveau appeals to you. The quality of the casting is superb right down to the to include her ear...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Antique Victorian Cut Glass and Sterling Silver Desk Inkwell
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Victorian cut glass and English sterling silver mounted desk inkwell, part of our antique silver and gl...
Category

1890s British Victorian Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Sterling Silver

Hermcès Stirrup Shaped Pencil and cards Holder in Brass and Leather
Located in Autonomous City Buenos Aires, CABA
Hermcès Stirrup Shaped Pencil and cards Holder in Brass and Leather Exceptional Hermès Stirrup Shaped Pencil and cards Holder ...
Category

20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze, Chrome

Sporting Inkwell in Gilt Bronze Depicting Retriever and Duck, Early 20th Century
Located in New York, NY
Early 20th Century Gilt Bronze Inkwell Depicting a Retriever with Duck A charming and finely cast early 20th century gilt bronze inkwell in the form of a hunting retriever grasping a...
Category

Early 20th Century French Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Mid 19th Century Inkwell in the Form of a Pocket Globe
Located in London, GB
A fantastic inkwell in the form of a pocket globe, dating from the mid 19th century.
Category

Mid-19th Century English Early Victorian Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Pewter

Desk Top Puzzle in Plywood Box
Located in Ferndale, MI
Geometric pieces of wood fitted together inside of laminate or plywood box.
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Maple, Plywood

Desk Top Puzzle in Plywood Box
Desk Top Puzzle in Plywood Box
$800 Sale Price
33% Off
Vintage Table Fan by STROJSMALT, 1950's
Located in Praha, CZ
Table fan made in the 1950's by STROJSMALT, Czechoslovakia. Made of plastic, and metal. Repolished, fully functional, in original condition with a few signs of wear. Ready to be plug...
Category

1950s Czech Industrial Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Metal

Pop Art Love Coin Bank, After Robert Indiana, Red, Blue, Green.
Located in New York, NY
Love Coin Bank, After Robert Indiana, red, blue and green. Medium scale bank with LOVE printed on both sides of the metal. Signed: "Produced and Distributed ...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Metal

Belle marble bookend with brass jester
Located in Firenze, FI
Add a touch of playfulness to your living space with our striking marble bookend featuring a brass jester. Not only is it a unique and eye-catching piece, but it's also practical for...
Category

2010s Italian Desk Accessories

Materials

Marble, Brass

19th Century French Ormolu Mounted Rounded Globe Style Tantalus Liquor Set
Located in New York, NY
An Unusual 19th century French Ormolu Mounted Globe Style Tantalus liquor set. The round globe top which rests on an elongated ormolu base is not common to find. The crystal top is m...
Category

1890s French Louis XVI Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Crystal, Ormolu

Art Deco Uplight Brass Metal Table Lamp, French, 1930s
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
A lovely example of Art Deco that shows great style and imagination is this French table lamp trumpet shape. Cream coloured on the inside and takes a normal bulb, you can use energy ...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass

French Arts and Crafts Oak Stationary Box with Tambour
Located in Godshill, Isle of Wight
French Arts and Crafts oak stationary box with Tambour This very attractive French Box is made in Oak in the Arts and Crafts style, it has a...
Category

Late 19th Century Arts and Crafts Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Oak

Portuguese Telephone Exchange PBX from the 50s/60s
Located in Lisboa, Lisboa
Telephone exchange, PBX from the 50s/60s. Manual telephone system used to interconnect several lines in a company or organisation. With a wooden ca...
Category

Mid-20th Century Portuguese Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Metal

Adnet Style Leather Alarm Clock by Bayard
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Handsome French saddle leather desk clock by Bayard in the style of Jacques Adnet. Excellent vintage condition. Keeps time and has an alarm. Great patin...
Category

1950s French Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass

Novelty fountain pen nib shaped silver inkwell made in London in 1904
Located in London, London
Hallmarked in London in 1904 by The Alexander Clark Manufacturing Co., this stylish, Antique, Edwardian, Sterling Silver Inkwell, is modelled as a fountain pen nib. The ink stand mea...
Category

Early 1900s English Edwardian Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Sterling Silver

Antique Victorian Marble Roman Ruins Grand Tour Statue Sculpture Columns Pillars
Located in West Sussex, Pulborough
We are delighted to offer for sale this extremely collectable original Victorian Marble Grand Tour Roman Ruin statue of columns A wonderful original piece, this is a desk sized co...
Category

19th Century Italian Grand Tour Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Marble

Antique English Cast Sterling Silver Tank Ornament / Paperweight
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique George V English cast sterling silver tank ornament/paperweight; part of our military related silverware collection. This exceptional ant...
Category

1910s English Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Metal, Silver, Sterling Silver

Antique 20th Century Edwardian Solid Silver Inkwell Desk Set, Chester c.1908
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Antique 20th Century Edwardian solid silver inkwell desk set. Designed for both practicality and elegance, it features a refined gadroon-edged tray. The ink stand includes two matchi...
Category

20th Century British Other Desk Accessories

Materials

Silver

Art Deco Silver and Gold Cigarette Case by Wise & Son, 1930s
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage Wise & Son sterling silver Cigarette Case with 14k gold inlays. Very good condition.
Category

1930s American Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Silver

vintage paperweight in Murano glass, 1970
Located in Brussels, BE
vintage paperweight in Murano glass, 1970
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Murano Glass

Russian Malachite and Bronze Inkwell
Located in New Orleans, LA
Malachite is one of Russia’s most prestigious stones, and its use in the creation of this rare and opulent inkwell indicates commission and ownership by an individual of considerable status. Wonderful doré bronze accents are the perfect complement to the vivid green stone. Two dipping wells and pen tray make this inkwell as functional as it is beautiful, circa 1890. Dimensions: 18 1/4” wide x 11” deep x 5 1/2” high. The 19th century proved to be the golden age of Russian malachite. The stone became a sign of prestige and a token of wealth so much so that Russian papers of the time wrote: “To afford having a big piece wrought in malachite is synonymous to owning diamonds.” Due to malachite's relatively close proximity, Russian tsars could easily obtain the malachite they needed to decorate their lavish palaces, such as the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, paneling walls and commissioning beautiful inlaid works of art. Year after year the Russian (Romanov) treasury paid increasingly unreasonable prices to hoard the best malachite, much of which went into Romanov palaces and extravagant objects d’art. The Hermitage Museum possesses a collection of over 200 examples of this “palatial” malachite...
Category

Late 19th Century Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Malachite, Bronze

Rare black Forest rooster inkwell 19th century Swiss glass eyes hand carved
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Gorgeous most rare Swiss Black Forest 19th century Inkwell / desk accessory fully hand carved displaying a dog wearing a hat and monocle. Detailed carving by a master carver. Comes w...
Category

Late 19th Century Swiss Black Forest Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Glass, Wood

Antique 20th Century English Silver Plated Novelty Golfing Inkwell c.1920
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Antique 20th Century English silver plated novelty inkwell. Featuring a large tray supporting two inkwells flanking a figure of a golfer poised to take a swing. It is of incredible d...
Category

20th Century British Other Desk Accessories

Materials

Silver Plate

Carl Auböck Paperweight Set as Used by Walter Gropius
Located in Berlin, DE
A Classic set of four beautiful pressed papiers designed by Carl Auböck and produced by the Carl Auböck Werkstätte. The set consists of a stone in leather, an egg, foot and hand. Sam...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Desk Accessories

Materials

Stone, Brass

Bronze Letter Opener inscribed "Hommage de la Tricalcine Oxymenthol" France 1910
Located in Nuernberg, DE
We are offering this wonderful and original heavy french art nouveau letter opener. The design dates back to the early 1900s to 1910s, the object is made of Bronze. We believe that t...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

In Stock in Los Angeles, Blue Spire Candle 1001 Lights Unbreakable Spirit Scent
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
Blue spire candle 1001 lights. Unbreakable spirit scent In stock in Los Angeles Home candle with tower design, translucent porcelain container and lid in blue and gold luster. It...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Porcelain

Antique Capodimonte-Type Hand Painted Bas Relief Hinged Box
Located in CHARLESTON, SC
Rare antique Capodimonte type hand decorated hinged box with gorgeous original gilt interior and bas relief decoration on all sides including the b...
Category

Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Porcelain

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert Stonemason's Mallet
Located in New Orleans, LA
This exceptional and one-of-a-kind wooden mallet commemorates the marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, which occurred on February 10, 1840. Exqu...
Category

19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Wood

Knotted Double Leather Tray Set Large Home Accessories By André Fu Living
Located in Admiralty, HK
Knotted double leather serving tray set. Hand stitched calf leather. Also, available in a smaller size tray set of two, size 36.2 x 24.7 x 5.8 H cm. Larger quantities available u...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Thai Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Leather

19th Century French Paperweight Bronze Dog Sculpture on Grey Marble Stand
Located in Dallas, TX
This antique dog sculpture paperweight was created in France, circa 1880. Standing on an oval grey and white marble base with bottom felt, the s...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Unusual Mid 19th Century Bronze & Ormolu Inkwell in the Form of Well-Cast Coc
Located in London, GB
An unusual mid 19th Century bronze & ormolu Inkwell in the form of well-cast Cockerel with lifting head, spurs and flamboyant tail feathers, raised on moulded socle.
Category

Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Bronze

Snow Globe Red Chanel Number 5
Located in Munich, DE
Rare limited edition of a Chanel Snow Ball, which are only for VIP Customers in excellent condition and with the original box. It features the iconic Chanel Number...
Category

2010s French Hollywood Regency Desk Accessories

Materials

Acrylic

Art Deco Marble Mantel Clock with Chromed Bronze Lion and Movement by Le Roux
By Le Roux à Paris 1
Located in Ulm, DE
Multicolor marble mantel clock Clock movement from Le Roux Lion sculpture made of bronze, chromed, original patina Original Art Deco, France 1930s Dime...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Deco Desk Accessories

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Aurora Asia Limited Edition Fountain Pen with Ink, Boxes & Papers
Located in New York, NY
Aurora limited edition fountain pen from the Asia collection, sold with the original ink bottle, boxes, and papers. Dedicated to the Asian continent, Aurora has created these precio...
Category

20th Century Desk Accessories

Materials

Gold

Mid-Century Sculpture of Cat/ Royal Dux, 1960s
Located in Praha, CZ
- made in Czechoslovakia - made of ceramic - good, original condition.
Category

1960s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Ceramic

Italian 1960s Silver Owl Paperweight
Located in London, GB
This delightful little owl silvered metal paperweight has gorgeous orange and black glass eyes. She or he is surprisingly heavy and is therefore perfect for what s/he was designed ...
Category

1960s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Metal, Silver Plate

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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