Desk Accessories
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Desk Accessories For Sale
Period: 19th Century
Period: 1920s
19th Century Giltwood Watch Holder
Located in New Orleans, LA
Beautifully carved figural giltwood pocket watch stand.
Category
Late 19th Century French Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Antique Silver Artist’s Paint Box by Harry Atkin Sheffield 1892
Located in London, GB
A stunning Antique Silver Artist’s paint box by Harry Atkin, Date Sheffield 1892.
A Rare Miniature travelling paint box in excellent condition. The silver on both the outside and the interior is in superb condition.
Upon opening, the front cascades down to reveal two wells for water and perhaps mixing colours.
The interior is well protected thanks to the interior gilding. The lid engraved “Lettice’s Paint Box”. Lettice is a traditional, English girl’s name most commonly found in the upper classes.
The actual paints are not original but the current set of paints are a later acceptable replacement. The miniature brush was with it but not original and doubt it ever had one.
Dimensions;
W 5” x D 3 1/4” H 1 1/4"
About the maker;
Atkin Brothers business traces his origin to Thomas Law...
Category
Late 19th Century British Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver
English Victorian Period 19th Century Wood or Horn Letter Openers, Sold Each
Located in Atlanta, GA
Two English Victorian period letter openers from the 19th century, made of wood or horn, priced and sold $195 each. Created in England during the reign of Queen Victoria, each of the...
Category
19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Wood, Horn
Bronze Letter Opener Knife Depicting an Eagle Made by Sculptor Jules Moigniez
Located in North Miami, FL
Late 19th century bronze letter opener knife depicting an eagle made by french animalier sculptor Jules Moigniez
By: Jules Moigniez
Material: bronze, copper, metal
Technique: lost w...
Category
Late 19th Century French Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze, Copper, Metal
Art Deco Bronze Bird Paperweight Signed P. Sega
By Pierre Sega
Located in NANTES, FR
Art deco paperweight circa 1930.
Kingfisher in silvered bronze on a black marble base veined with white.
Signature on the base P. Sega for Pierre Sega.
In perfect condition.
Height:...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Art Deco Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Silvered Metal and Pietra Dura Table Planter
Located in Vancouver, British Columbia
A rare silvered metal desk or tabletop planter inlaid with 12 framed Pietra Dura panels of inlaid colorful flowers on a black base, complete with its ...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal
An Italian Grand Tour Specimen Marble Paperweight, Late 19th Century
Located in Spencertown, NY
The round paperweight framed in black marble, with porphyry and sienna marble and other marble specimens. The center in sienna marble with carved bea...
Category
1850s Italian Grand Tour Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Belgian Black Marble
Antique Ornate Letter Rack, Italian, Gilt Stationery Stand, Desk Tidy, Victorian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique ornate letter rack. An Italian, gilt metal stationery stand or desk tidy, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1900.
Striking Continental taste with classic...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal
Early 20th Century Brass Letter Rack
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
A beautiful antique brass letter rack.
Estimated date and origin: France, circa 1920-1930.
The letter rack is in good condition. Sturdy and stable. Beautiful color and old patina.
D...
Category
1920s Belle Époque Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Museum Worthy Antique Bronze Coiled Rattlesnake Sculpture Signed & Marked 1885
Located in Lisse, NL
World class, aesthetically marvelous and extremely rare rattle snake culpture.
Over the decades we have sold some really good antique bronzes, but we feel that this diamondback ratt...
Category
19th Century European Arts and Crafts Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
1925 René Lalique Seal Moineau Sparrow Clear Glass
By René Lalique
Located in Boulogne Billancourt, FR
Seal "Moineau" (Sparrow) made in clear glass by René Lalique in 1925.
Stamped signature.
Perfect condition
height: 5 cm
Félix Marcilhac, René Lalique - Catalogue Raisonné de l'Œuv...
Category
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass, Art Glass
19th Century French Wooden Desk Organizer
Located in High Point, NC
This 19th-century French wooden desk organizer is an artifact that exudes timeless elegance and rustic charm. Designed to provide a functional storage solution while adding a touch o...
Category
19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Wood
19th Century French Wooden Desk Organizer
Located in High Point, NC
This 19th-century French wooden desk organizer is a remarkable piece of functional antique decor. Skillfully crafted from solid wood, its rich natural grain and warm tones evoke a se...
Category
19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Wood
Napoleon III Inkwell
Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Napoleon III inkwell
gilt bronz and champleve enamel
Origin France
perfect condition
circa 1860.
The Napoleon III style had its heyday during the 1850s and 1880s. Emperor Napoleon wa...
Category
1850s French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Enamel
Victorian Glossy Extending Black Leather Stationary Writing Slope With Key
Located in High Wycombe, GB
Victorian Glossy Black Leather Extending Correspondence Box / Writing Slope With Black Tooled Leather Interior
SLOPE 30
Inside the slope there is a leather bound blotting sheet, le...
Category
Late 19th Century British Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass, Steel
Antique Swiss Black Forest Dog Inkwell Pen Store
By Black Forest
Located in Newark, England
Unusual Pen Tidy Slot
From our Black Forest collection, we are delighted to offer a rare example Antique Swiss Black Forest Dog Inkwell with ...
Category
Late 19th Century Swiss Black Forest Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Wood
Banded Agate and Ormolu Antique Inkwell c1895
Located in Tunbridge Wells, GB
Heading : A 19th century banded agate and ormolu bronze inkwell
Date : 1880-1910
Origin : France
Decoration : The handle and inkwell with engraved foliate design. Original glass line...
Category
1890s French Belle Époque Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Exquisite Victorian Walnut & Black Leather Campaign Writing Slope & Secret Space
Located in High Wycombe, GB
Exquisite Victorian Hand-Crafted Burr Walnut Writing Slope With Black Tooled Leather Interior With Secret Compartment
SLOPE 23
Brass front shield could be personalised with engravi...
Category
19th Century British Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Antique Baccarat Red White and Blue Convex Glass Paperweight
By Baccarat
Located in New York, NY
Antique Baccarat faceted art glass paperweight with closepack cane millefiori mushroom at center, surrounded with a blue torsade ribbon.
Paperweigh...
Category
19th Century French Empire Revival Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Art Glass
Fantastic set of antique Victorian postal scales and weights by S.Mordan London
Located in Ipswich, GB
Fantastic set of large antique Victorian postal scales and weights by S.Mordan London, having a fantastic quality set of antique Victorian scales by S.Mordan London, the brass scales...
Category
Early 19th Century Early Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Baccarat Huntsman Sulphide Paperweight on Translucent Red Ground
By Baccarat
Located in Steyning, West sussex
A Baccarat huntsman sulphide paperweight on translucent red ground
Measures: height 4.5 cm (1 3/4")
Diameter 9 cm (3 1/2")
Period 1850-1899
Year 1850
...
Category
1850s Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass
Black Forest Wood Carved Brienz House Inkwell German Vintage, 1890s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Classic 1890s Black Forest Brienz wood carved inkwell in form of a cabin. Nice addition to your room or just for use it on your desk. Made of hand carved wood and glass eyes. Found a...
Category
1890s German Black Forest Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass, Wood
19th Century Victorian Folding Bookrest
Located in Oakville, ON
Gorgeous selection of walnut veneers with lovely colour and brass mounts
Category
1860s British Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Victorian-era silver plate wunderkammer inkwell with emu egg
Located in Milan, IT
Victorian-era silver plate wunderkammer inkwell that presents in the center of the tray a palm tree from the cut trunk on which rests reclining on four palm leaves an Australian e...
Category
1870s Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal
Pair of Late Victorian English Ivory Letter Openers with Sterling Silver Handles
Located in North Miami, FL
Pair of Late Victorian english ivory letter openers/bone folders with sterling silver horse and dog/wolf handles
By: unknown
Material: bone, silver, metal...
Category
Late 19th Century English Late Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal, Silver, Sterling Silver
Antique French Empire Cut Crystal and Gold Bronze Inkwell, Circa 1880.
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique French Empire Cut Crystal and Gold Bronze Inkwell, Circa 1880.
Category
Late 19th Century French Empire Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Crystal, Bronze
Antique French Grand Tour Bronze Statue Hippocampus Seahorse Desk Ornament 1820
Located in Portland, OR
A fine antique French Grand Tour cast bronze hippocampus, seahorse statue desk ornament, circa 1820.
This wonderful bronze is cast by the lost wax method (cire perdue), it depicts a ...
Category
1820s French Grand Tour Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Cartier 1926 Tom Pouce Ladies Lighter 18kt Gold Bronze Champlevé Emerald & Lapis
Located in Miami, FL
Mughal ladies Tom Pouce lighter designed by Cartier.
Fabulous and extremely rare ladies cylindrical gasoline lighter. Created in Paris during the art deco period by the house of Cartier, back in the middle of the 1920's. This miniature Tom Pouce lighter, takes its name from the classic short fairy tales by the Grimm's brothers, Tom Thumb (Tom Pouce being the French translation). It was crafted with Champlevé colored enamels over rustic bronze and accented with details in yellow gold of 18 karats. Embellished with natural lapis lazuli and an emerald. The main outside body is decorated with organics elements and figures of red and blue birds. Gorgeous look and surely a great conversation piece which is accompanied by the round Cartier red box.
Champlevé, in the decorative arts, is an enameling technique or an object made by the champlevé process, which consists of cutting away troughs or cells in a metal plate and filling the depressions with pulverized vitreous enamel. The raised metal lines between the cutout areas form the design outline.
Emerald: Accented on top in a bezel setting, with 1 square faceted cut of a natural green emerald of about 0.15 carats.
Lapis: Mount with 1 flat round cabochon cut, carved from lapis lazuli of about 1.25 carats.
Birthstone: Emerald for the month of May.
Weight: 21.95 Grams, (14.07 Dwt).
Measurements: Have a diameter of 16 mm and a height of 33 mm (0.63 x 1.30 Inches).
Hallmarks Stamped with the maker's mark, the serial numbers, the French taxation mark for luxury items BL inside a rectangular cartouche and signed, "CARTIER 5554", stamped with matching cases numbers, 13 & 13.
Ministere Des Finances Lighter Tax 1911-1945
Note: On 10th December 1910 the French state adopted a new tax regulations on all devices indented to produce spark or fire by friction, or by any other means, and of the combustion of a flammable substance. Since 1st January 1911 every lighter in France that was intended for sale in the French market had to be taxed and adequately marked. To confirm that the excise duty was paid to the Ministry of Finance a special duty metal plate (stamp) was attached (usually welded) to the lighter by the lighter manufacturers. The fees charged by the French state were high but the tax rates levied by the state were varying depending on the type and finish of the lighter. Following tax rates were used: 2 French francs for common pocket lighters, 5 Fr for pocket lighters made of silver, 20 Fr for luxury pocket lighters (e.g. made of gold), 5 Fr for common table/desk lighters (over 10 cm), 10 Fr for table/desk lighters (over 10 cm) made of silver, 50 Fr for luxury table/desk lighters (over 10 cm) made of gold or platinum. Between 1911 and 1916 a simple copper plate was used which had the date 1911 engraved. Later, between 1916 and 1945 a new plate (undated) was introduced with the letters "C" and "I" (stands for indirect taxes) and a profile of Mercury (patron god of financial gain, commerce and messengers) with an inscription "Ministère Des Finances" (eng. Ministry of Finance). Two shapes were used for the plate – oval for table lighters, the other one for pocket lighters. Additional to the two duty plates a marking "BL" (Briquet de Luxe, eng. luxury lighter) was introduced in 1926. It was a small hallmark which was considered as more discreet and applied only on luxury lighters like Quercia or Lancel. It is worth to mention that France was not the sole country where lighters were taxed and marked with special plates...
Category
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Multi-gemstone, Gold, Bronze, Enamel
Letter Opener by George Omerth
Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Letter Opener by George Omerth
Origin France Circa 1920
art deco style
Excellent condition
Gilt bronze and patina
Omerth's life dates are not known in literature. He was a student of...
Category
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Antique Victorian Coromandel Brass Wooden Letters Stationery Writing Box Casket
Located in Dublin, Ireland
Absolutely stunning early Victorian well figured Coromandel Stationery Casket of museum quality and in outstanding condition. Mid to late Nineteenth Century, of English origin.
Th...
Category
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Antique Marble & Bronze Napoleon 3 Inkstand by Marcel Debut Salon Des Beaux-Arts
By Marcel Debut
Located in Lisse, NL
Rare and important French Napoleonic ink stand with female sculpture.
This hand-crafted and sizable ink stand of marble and gilt bronze is signed by the renowned French sculptor Mar...
Category
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Marble, Bronze
A Beautiful Victorian Japanned Writing Slope With Decorative Enamel Inlays
Located in High Wycombe, GB
A Beautiful Victorian Japanned Writing Slope With Decorative Floral Elements Enamel Inlays & Gilt Swallows.
The slope features a black fitted interior finished with a black velvet s...
Category
Late 19th Century Japanese Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass, Enamel
Black Forest inkwell cat in boot Swiss Antique 19th Century hand carved glass
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Gorgeous most rare Swiss Black Forest 19th century Inkwell / desk accessory fully hand carved displaying a cat in a boot.
The cat is very detailed with glass eyes (slight damage to b...
Category
Late 19th Century Swiss Black Forest Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass, Wood
Exquisite Georgian Hand Crafted Mahogany Writing Slope With Red Tooled Leather
By Thompson Cabinet Company
Located in High Wycombe, GB
Early 19th Century Exquisite Brass Bound Hand Crafted Mahogany Writing Slope Burgundy Red Tooled Leather, Two Glass Brass Topped Inkwells & Two Original Keys.
The top and front have...
Category
1820s British Georgian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Antique English Ormolu and Malachite Inkwell, Circa 1860-1880.
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique English ormolu & malachite inkwell, circa 1860-1880.
Category
Mid-19th Century English Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Malachite, Ormolu
Antique Victorian Coromandel Brass Wooden Letters Stationery Casket Box Betjeman
Located in Dublin, Ireland
Absolutely stunning early Victorian well figured Coromandel Stationery Casket of museum quality and in outstanding condition. Mid Nineteenth Century. Made in England by G. Betjemann....
Category
Mid-19th Century Irish Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Antique English Crystal & Sterling Silver Inkwell Signed "Samuel Jacob" Ca 1895
Located in New Orleans, LA
Antique English cut crystal and sterling silver inkwell signed by silversmith "Samuel Jacob" of London, circa 1895.
Category
Late 19th Century English Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Crystal, Sterling Silver
Large Exceptional Swiss Black Forest double inkwell desk decoration 19th Century
Located in Ijzendijke, NL
Gorgeous most rare Swiss Black Forest 19th century double Inkwell / desk accessory fully hand carved displaying a bird eating nuts & floral leaves / walnuts.
Carved by a master carve...
Category
Late 19th Century Swiss Black Forest Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass, Wood
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
An Art Deco Desk Tidy by Asprey London
Located in Forest Row, East Sussex
An Art Deco Desk Tidy/ Pin Tray. Bronze tiger mounted ob an oval onyx base. Retailed by Asprey of London
Dimensions: H 8cm W 16.5cm D 25cm
Origi...
Category
1920s English Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Onyx, Bronze
Quality large pair of antique Victorian scales by Parnall & Sons of Bristol
Located in Ipswich, GB
Quality large pair of Victorian scales by Parnall & Sons of Bristol, having a brass centre column mounted upon a wooden base, with a shaped brass arm holding brass weighing pans, Mar...
Category
Early 19th Century Early Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Early 19th Century Napoleon Bonaparte Letter Opener
Located in Lučenec, SK
This is one of a kind bronze letter opener from the period just after Napoleon's death. It is a testament to his popularity that even letter openers featured his face.
Category
1820s French Empire Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
French 19th Century Set of Scale Weights Stand Desk Accessory
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
19th Century Set of Brass Scale Weights, France
A charming late 19th Century set of weights in brass, housed in their wooden stand. Weights such as these were used with different sc...
Category
Late 19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Group of Four French Decorative Items, Letter Opener, Paperweight, Figure, and B
Located in San Francisco, CA
Group of Four French Decorative Items including
19th century figural letter opener 1.5" x 1.5" x 8.25"
French metal helmet paperweight base: 3.75" x 4.5", helmet 2.5" x x2", Overal...
Category
19th Century Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Marble, Bronze
19° Century italian 800 Silver Desk Set
Located in VALENZA, IT
Italian desk set in 800/1000 silver late 1800s.
The set consists of:
Square-shaped ground crystal inkwell with hinged silver lid and 24kt gold finish inside .
Rectangular pad with s...
Category
19th Century Italian Other Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver
Antique Floral Bouquet Cast Iron Door Stop
Located in South Salem, NY
Charming cast iron doorstop with a cheerful flower basket design, made in England circa 1880. Sturdy and functional, the doorstop has a wonderful painted finish in a pastel palette. ...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Iron
Gilt-Metal Mounted and Enamel Banded Agate Desk Seal
Located in Firenze, IT
Shipping policy: No additional costs will be added to this order. Shipping costs will be totally covered by the seller (customs duties included).
19th century banded agate seal...
Category
Late 19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Agate
French Silver Inkstand, Late 19th century
Located in New York, NY
Retailed by Tiffany and Co. The three compartments decorated with gadrooning, shells and floral finials, with additional laurel leaf garlands flanking a central shell on the base, th...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver
Art Deco Bronze Car Mascot French Bulldog Signed by Gaston H. Bourcart, 1925
By E. Bourcart
Located in Antwerp, BE
Art Deco bronze car mascot French bulldog signed by Gaston H. Bourcart.
The hood ornament is in gilt bronze and stands on a marble base.
France 1925.
This mascot is illustrated plate nr. 329
Mascottes passion, Michel Legrand, Antic show éditions.
More information:
Mascottes automobiles...
Category
1920s French Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Napoleon III Inkwell Writing Case Rosewood Porcelain And Gilt Bronze
Located in CHALON-SUR-SAÔNE, FR
Large writing case with compartments, forming an inkwell and pen holder, from the Napoleon III period, in rosewood marquetry and interiors of the compartments in speckled maple, with...
Category
1870s European Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Papier Mâché Inkstand w/ Drawer & Crystal Inkwells English Jennens & Bettridge
Located in Savannah, GA
This high quality Papier-Mache desk set is beautifully hand painted in a floral motif and features inlaid mother of pearl and the original pair of cut glass inkwells with brass tops....
Category
1840s English Early Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Finest Quality Handcrafted Antique Bronze and Brass Gothic Revival Inkstand
Located in Lisse, NL
Another rare antique for the collectors and enthusiasts of Gothic art.
This sizeable and very stylish inkstand was all-handcrafted in the late 19th century and it could hardly be in...
Category
Late 19th Century European Gothic Revival Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass, Bronze
Antique French Gilt Bronze Encrier Inkwell Desk Stand, Signed JF
Located in Forney, TX
A most impressive fine quality antique Louis XV style French ormolu encrier / inkstand.
Born in France in the 19th century, almost certainly Parisian work, exquisitely chased, chis...
Category
19th Century French Louis XV Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze, Ormolu
19th Century French Brass Ink Well on Marble
Located in Charlottesville, VA
An object of art now, captures the period.
Category
19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Marble, Brass
Antique Victorian Three Bottle Tantalus & Games Compendium 19th C
Located in London, GB
This is a fabulous antique Victorian games compendium and tantalus, circa 1880 in date.
It consists of three cut crystal liquor bottles with stoppers, a pair of engraved shot glass...
Category
1880s Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Crystal, Silver Plate
Victorian Brass Inkwell In The Form Of A Terrier
Located in Essex, MA
Cast terrier with hinge lid opening to an inkwell. From the estate of the founder of Yankee Candle Co.
Category
1880s English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Antique 20th Century German Silver Plated Toboggan Shaped Inkwell, Kayser c.1920
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Antique 20th Century German silver plated inkwell depicting a group of children on a toboggan sliding down the mountain, under one of the mountain peaks is a glass lined inkwell. A f...
Category
1920s German Other Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver Plate
PAIR OF 19th Century French CHENETS Louis XVI Style
Located in Madrid, ES
PAIR OF 19th Century French CHENETS
Louis XVI style, in gilded metal.
Dim.: 29 x 13 x 5 cm
good conditions
Category
19th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal
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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