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Desk Accessories

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Desk Accessories For Sale
Color:  Black
Andy Warhol Diaries, Hard-Cover Library or Coffee Table Book, 1989
Located in New York, NY
'The Andy Warhol Diaries' book is hard-cover, first edition, May 1989. The Andy Warhol Diaries is the dictated memoirs of the American artist, Andy Warhol, posthumously published, May 1989, USA. It was edited by his frequent collaborator and long-time friend, Pat Hackett...
Category

1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Paper

Fantastic 19th Century French Dore Bronze Mounted Black Crystal Hinged Box
Located in New York, NY
A Fantastic 19th Century French Louis XVI Style Dore Bronze Mounted Black Crystal Box. The box is composed of two sections of French black crystal wh...
Category

1890s French Louis XVI Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Crystal, Bronze

Game of Checkers produced by Rede Guzzini for Krizia, Design
Located in Foggia, FG
Gioco di Dama prodotto da Rede Guzzini per Krizia - Design - Anno: 1980 Materiale: Plastica Condizioni: Buone come da immagini pubblicate Misure: Cm 38 diametro ...
Category

1980s Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Plastic

Rare European Arts and Crafts, Adjustable Brass and Glass Table / Desk Lamp 1910
Located in Lisse, NL
Remarkable and all handcrafted, antique work of lighting art. If you are looking for a truly stylish and original Arts and Crafts desk or table lamp then this aesthetically pleasing work of beauty could be gracing your home soon. This early Arts and Crafts fixture...
Category

Early 20th Century European Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass

Antique Grand Tour 'King Charles Spaniel' Micro Mosaic Plaque, Italy, C.1850
Located in Chatham, ON
Antique Grand Tour 'King Charles Cavalier Spaniel' micro mosaic plaque - hand made to the finest quality with great detail - may be framed or mount...
Category

Mid-19th Century Italian Grand Tour Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Glass

Carl Auböck Model #8040-2 Patinated Brass Knob
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck Model #8040-2 patinated brass knob. Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese knob is executed in patinated brass by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Austria....
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass

Danese Milano In Attesa Wastepaper Basket in Graphite by Enzo Mari
Located in Hicksville, NY
In attesa is a wastepaper basket. It is an injection moulded polypropylene cylinder but the base is not perpendicular to the sides instead it is at a diagona...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Plastic

Decorative French Vintage Ceramic Thermometer and Casing by Mithé Espelt
Located in London, GB
Decorative, French vintage ceramic thermometer and casing by Mithé Espect (circa 1960s). A delightful piece with stylised bird and flower blossoms. The rectangular ceramic backdrop f...
Category

1960s French Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Ceramic

Ducks Murano, 1930, Italian, Sing Salviati & C
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Murano We have specialized in the sale of Art Deco and Art Nouveau and Vintage styles since 1982. If you have any questions we are at your disposal. Pushing the button that reads 'View All From Seller'. And you can see more objects to the style for sale. Salviati & C Measures: Violet : 33 long x 10 high x 5.5 depth Green: 30 long x 9 high x 5.5 depth The lawyer Antonio Salviati and his dream In 1859 in his premises at Number 731 of Dorsoduro, Venice the “Salviati Dott. Antonio fu Bartolomeo” company was established. This is when, Vicenza-born lawyer Antonio Salviati started the entrepreneurial career, moved by a passion for the precious mosaics of the Basilica of San Marco and fascinated by Murano glass art, he decided to start-up his own production of mosaics and objects in Murano glass. An ambitious and far-sighted goal pushed him along this path: to revive the fate of Murano glass production that has been fallen for decades. A challenge which finds the maximum support from two fundamental figures in the history of Murano glass: the mayor of the island, Antonio Colleoni, and the Abbot Vincenzo Zanetti, founder of the glass museum and of the first art school for glass masters. The first successes and international investments The launchpad was the “First Glassmakers’ Exhibition” in 1864 in which Salviati participated with a monumental mosaic that earns him a prize superior to the Gold Medal. The success achieved affirmed the credibility of the Company which thus started its glass production in Palazzo da Mula. The new corporate and productive reality needed investors and the lawyer started to internationalise the company by addressing the economic and financial market across the Channel. The UK immediately showed huge interest in Salviati’s mosaics – as testified by the mosaic that can be seen on the façade of the current Apple Store in Regent Street, London. It was also in London, on 21st December 1866, that the “Società Anonima per Azioni Salviati & C.” was established with the support of diplomat Sir Austen Henry Layard and historian William Drake. The new corporate set-up was further established with the purchase of a new headquarter, this time on the Riva dei Vetrai in Murano. The universal show of Paris in 1867 celebrated the relaunch project of Antonio Salviati “Venice owes a debt of gratitude to the knight Salviati in the resurgence for one of the most legitimately famous of its industries”. From Esposizione Illustrata di Parigi, 1867 pg. 275. “Venice and Italy have gain huge success in the Universal Exhibition. The resurgence of one of the city’s most famous industries is consecrated in this very occasion by the gold medal awarded by the jury to Mr Salviati […] the crowd […] is gathering around the display cases that hold those pieces of glass that are so transparent and so light as to appear like woven air, impregnated, when in their elegant forms that become rainbows of those iridescent reflections that cover them at the artist’s whim – the author of a real ray of sunshine from the beautiful and splendid Venice”. From Esposizione Illustrata di Parigi, 1867 pg. 311 The fundamental role of training in murano glass Training plays a fundamental role for the Company; attendance at the Art School was made compulsory for “[…] all the young workers of the Factory who don’t only tire themselves in manual work. This was established with the idea not only to lift their dignity and their initially limited aspirations, […] but also to improve their artistic education and thereby facilitate an improvement also in their economic situation”. Together with the art school, a free school was also set up to teach all employees to read and write. Diversification in production and made-to-measure projects In a short time, Salviati & C. diversified its production to include glasses, cups, amphoras, and vials which guaranteed the first prize in the universal exhibition for three consecutive years. Its mosaic production also flourished, being used in world-class projects: from the Houses of Parliament in London, to the Viceroy’s palace in Alessandria in Egypt, to the Opera House of Paris, including the private homes of wealthy New York personality. The entire 19th century for Salviati & C. was represented by development, success and fame in the national and international markets, and the Company became a symbol and reference point of Murano glass art throughout the world. The Salviati legacy at the turn of the century On the death of Antonio Salviati in 1890, first his three children followed one another at the helm of the company and then Maurizio Camerino, previously general manager. It was thanks to him that the decorative mosaic project of the Stanford Memorial Church in Palo Alto (California, USA) took place after 12 years of work. As well as the opening of a sales point in Via Montenapoleone in Milan and the institution of a museum collection of Murano glass from the 19th and 20th centuries. The post-war years, biennials and lighting After Maurizio Camerino’s death in 1931, his three children took over the helm of the company: its solid foundations allowed them to strive for new important goals in the art world, participating in the Biennials of 1932 and 1934. Not even the Second World War could tarnish the strength of the Salviati brand: in the post-war years Renzo Camerino renewed the ruined production headquarter and enthusiastically restored all his commercial contacts. Thanks to his grandson Renzo Tedeschi (newly graduated in Engineering at the Polytechnic of Turin and upon his return from an apprenticeship in the United States), Salviati launched its production in lighting appliances. The following years saw intense growth in the number of collaborations with renowned artists and designers. In 1959, the production site was moved to Fondamenta Radi 16, where it still stands today. The great lighting projects The larger production area allowed the company to further expand the international market in the field of architectural lighting. A number of projects were undertaken, such as the 9-tonne, 22-metres high chandelier in the Chamber of Commerce in Parma, the ceiling illumination in the premises of the World Intellectual Property Organisation in Geneva and the Kowloon Hotel in Hong Kong; not to mention the sound-absorbing windows of the Aula Nervi in the Vatican and the lighting system of the great honour hall of the Philippine Plaza Hotel in Manila in collaboration with architect John Marsteller. The reputation of Salviati & C. was further affirmed by the commission – after an international call for bids – for twelve 11-metre high chandeliers for the Tonhalle concert hall in Dusseldorf, made using an innovative system of modular glass elements – “LS- System” – one of the today company’s cornerstones. Salviati from the modern age to the present The story of Salviati continues in the modern era, keeping the focus on creating an innovative style that had distinguished it since its inception. Participation in international exhibitions increased, such as the Venice Biennials from 1958 to 1972 (the final year in which Murano glass was allowed) thanks to projects by designers of the calibre of Betha and Teff Sarasin, Claire Falkestein, and Luciano Gaspari. In 1962 Salviati was awarded with the highest recognition in the Design world, the “Compasso d’Oro” prize assigned by A.D.I. for the Marco vase designed by architect Sergio Asti. In 1965 the company changed its name to Salviati & C. s.p.a.; then it was purchased by the Gruppo Ferruzzi in 1987 which later on it was transferred to a French company. Since 2015 the company returned to be Venetian with the acquisition by the Umana group. Salviati and its designers Salviati’s designers: Luciano Gaspari, Sergio Asti (Compasso d’Oro 1962), Claire Falkenstein, Ward Bennet, Teff and Betha Sarasin, Ingo Maurer, Ross Lovegrove, Amanda Levete, Tom Dixon, Nigel Coates, Thomas Heatherwick, Luca Nichetto, Ben Gorham...
Category

1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Murano Glass

Fine Wedgwood Ordinary Lustre Exotic Gilded Birds Baluster Vase #Z5986
Located in Rothley, Leicestershire
Fine quality Wedgwood porcelain baluster vase created by Daisy Makeig-Jones. Rich and vibrant colours and gilding excel on this piece of highly collectible lustre Wedgwood...
Category

Early 20th Century British Art Deco Desk Accessories

Materials

Porcelain

Set Of Old Bound Books 19th Century France
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 called " Society for the History of French Protestantism ". Th...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Paper

Hermès Brass and Leather Shotgun Shell Pen Holder, 1970s France
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Classic leather cup with brass bottom made by Hermès. In the shape/style of a shotgun shell. Stamped Hermès Made in France on underside of brass. Good vint...
Category

1980s French Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass

Large Late 17th Century Baroque Iron Door Lock
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Large French baroque wrought iron door lock on acrylic stand.
Category

Late 17th Century French Baroque Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Wrought Iron

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

Vintage Glass Ashtray, 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage glass ashtray is an original decorative object realized in the 1970s. A very beautiful transparent glass with a particular glass proc...
Category

1970s European Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Glass

Couple of Murano, 1930, Italian
Located in Ciudad Autónoma Buenos Aires, C
Murano We have specialized in the sale of Art Deco and Art Nouveau and Vintage styles since 1982. If you have any questions we are at your disposal. Pushing the button that reads 'Vi...
Category

1930s Italian Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Murano Glass

Art Deco Patinated Brass Desktop Book or Mail holder by Kronheim & Oldenbusch
Located in San Diego, CA
Desktop book or mail holder by Kronheim & Oldenbusch, World map of america circa 1930's very rare piece stamped at the bottom with company logo great desk...
Category

1960s American Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass

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

Carl Aubock Sculpture "Man With Stick" 4060
Located in Chalk Hill, PA
Carl Aubock Sculpture "Man With Stick" 4060. This beautifully crafted sculpture first conceived in the 1950's by Carl Aubock is a wonderful examp...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass

Contemporary Large Black Obsidian Obelisk / Crystal Point
Located in Toronto, ON
Invite healing energy into your home with a contemporary large black obsidian crystal point / obelisk. Gorgeous in a collection, or as a stand alone sta...
Category

2010s American Desk Accessories

Materials

Stone

Cast Iron Banks 'Set of 4'
Located in San Francisco, CA
C. 19th century cast iron banks ( set of 4 ) Measurements of items individually Iron mailbox Height - 2.50 Width - 1.75 Iron bank Height - 3....
Category

19th Century Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Iron

Carl Auböck Model #4982 Patinated Brass Hook
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck model #4982 patinated brass hook. Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and minimalist Viennese hook is executed in patinated brass by Werkstätte Carl Auböck, Austria. P...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass

Caithness Glass Elixir Paperweight No. 189/500, Scotland, Circa 1980s
Located in Lincoln, Lincolnshire
This is a glass paperweight named "Elixir", limited edition 189/500, by Caithness Glass, Scotland, made after 1970 in the last quarter of the 20th Century. This is a very attractive cone shaped clear glass paperweight, well handmade (hand blown) with a very intricate internal design called Elixir. These were produced as a limited edition, this being 189 out of 500. The makers mark is etched to the base with the number 189/500 scratched alongside. This paperweight weighs about 500 gram. Caithness Glass The company was founded in 1961 by Robin Sinclair and initially only made bowls, vases and drinking glasses. After Paul Ysart joined the company a year later that paved the weigh for Paperweight production, with regular factory production starting in the late 1960s. In 1974 the first millefiori and lampwork paperweights...
Category

20th Century Scottish Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Blown Glass

Large 18th Century French Lock and Key
Located in Houston, TX
Large 18th century French iron lock and key. This handsome french iron lock comes with the original key and makes an interesting coffee table accessory or...
Category

18th Century French Louis XVI Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Iron

Cat Paperweight Figurine Black White Art Glass Abstract Signed ICET Murano
Located in Kissimmee, FL
Beautiful vintage ICET Arte Murano hand blown deep black with white accents abstract shape tuxedo kitty cat figurine, sculpture. The piece has an original "Arte Murano ICET...
Category

Late 20th Century Venezuelan Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Glass, Sommerso, Blown Glass, Art Glass

Tusk Candle, Small, Black Beeswax
Located in Oakland, CA
100% beeswax, organic hemp wick and coloring, unscented. The tusk candle takes its inspiration from natural motifs: Ivory, tusks, canines, teeth and oth...
Category

2010s American Minimalist Desk Accessories

Materials

Hemp

Joie Dynamic French Art Deco Dancer Sculpture by Garcia for Max Le Verrier
Located in Ulm, DE
Joie (the joy) dynamic sculpture of a dancer  Design and creation by "Garcia" for "Max Le Verrier". Spelter with original patina conical base...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Deco Desk Accessories

Materials

Spelter

Set of Old Books from 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 called  « Life of Jean Wesley ». These...
Category

19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Leather, Paper

Marco Zanuso & Richard Sapper for Brionvega TS 505 Cube Radio, 1976
Located in Naples, IT
The TS 505A is a unique portable transistor radio, designed by designers Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper in 1962 and launched two years later by the Milan-based company Brionvega. The TS 505 - also known as the 'Cube' - is a worldwide icon of industrial design, and is exhibited in the most important museums of contemporary art. It can also be found at the MoMa in New York. A cult object composed of two cubic plastic 'valves' that make it resemble a cuboid shell. The radio bears the Florentine silver...
Category

1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Metal

Reed and Barton Silver Plate Horse Head Letter Opener
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Silver plate Reed and Barton horse head letter opener. A nice addition to any desk or work station. A handsome piece for the horse enthusiast, owner or trainer - the piece has fai...
Category

20th Century Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Silver Plate

Postmodern Black Metal, Clear Acrylic and Steel Nails Decorative Object
Located in New York, NY
A Postmodern period clear and black acrylic and metal decorative object, circa late-20th century Piece is rectangular in shape, comprised of three pieces acrylic (black and clear), black metal screws and thin metal nails (approximately 500), making this an interesting Postmodern decorative object...
Category

Late 20th Century Post-Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Metal

Chessboard in Precious Alabaster-Art
Located in Foggia, FG
Scacchiera in Alabastro Pregiatissima -Art- Anno: 1950 circa Materiali: Alabastro Condizioni: Eccellenti Misure: Scacchiera cm 19 x cm 19, pedine cm 4 h Chessboa...
Category

1950s Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Alabaster

1960s Dunhill Lift Arm Ostrich Leather Lighter
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Elegant Dunhill lift arm lighter made in the 1960s. Body wrapped in ostrich leather that has a perfect patina. Amazing texture and practical size perf...
Category

1960s Swiss Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Metal

Art Deco Mid-20 Century Airplane Fighter over the World Paperweight, 1930s
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
Art Deco / mid-20 century airplane fighter over the world paperweight, 1930s aluminium Art Deco / streamlined aviation paperweight. Lovely desk size. A perfect gift.
Category

Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Desk Accessories

Materials

Aluminum

1930s Art Deco Portoro Marble Italian Desk Set
Located in Aci Castello, IT
Very precious Italian inkwell and signature pad with original paper. It's made with very rare portoro marble, particular for its black with brown and gold veins. Price is for the com...
Category

Mid-20th Century Italian Art Deco Desk Accessories

Materials

Marble

Danish Rosewood Matchbox Holder with Abstract Silver Inlays by Axel Salomonsen
Located in Esbjerg, DK
Copenhagen silversmith Axel Salomonsen made a variety of rosewood accessories with sterling silver (925s) intarsia during the late 1950s and 60s. This ...
Category

1960s Danish Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Silver

Typewriter Mirsa Ideal by Seidl and Naumann - Dresden - Germany, 1934
Located in Praha, CZ
Made in Germany Made of metal Fully functional Re-polished Good Original condition.
Category

1930s German Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Metal

Carl Auböck Model #5439 Patinated Brass Hook
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Auböck #5439 patinated brass hook. Designed in the 1950s, this versatile and Minimalist Viennese hook is executed in darkly patinated and polished brass by Werkstätte Carl Auböc...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass

Pair of Large Carl Auböck Model #4101 'Melies' Patinated Brass Bookends
Located in Glendale, CA
Pair of large Carl Aubock Model #4101 'Melies' patinated brass bookends. Designed in the 1950s, this incredibly refined and sculptural pair of bookends are executed in patinated and ...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass

Set of Two Moroccan Antique Tribal Powder Case Flasks
Located in North Hollywood, CA
Antique Moroccan Decorative Bottle. Destined to be a conversation piece no matter where you place it, this is another of those rare items you'll only find at Mosaik. Moroccan Antique...
Category

1920s Moroccan Folk Art Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass, Tin

Antique Victorian Silver Card Case Trinket and Snuff Box Regency Grand Tour 19ct
Located in Dublin, Ireland
Stunning Example of a Ladies Well Figure Tortoise Shell Silver Framed Hinged Lid Card Case of generous proportions, made during the first half of the Nineteenth Century. The rectangular hinged cover with lavish silver inlay depicting a trailing branch of flowers and foliage. Condition: Good condition for such an early piece with no losses to inlays, nice surface patination to tortoiseshell. The case closes firmly. Width: (at widest, just over) 5.5" (14cm). Depth: 3” (8cm). ----------------------------------- An oval well figured horn trinket box with separate lid, late Nineteenth Century Condition: Perfect condition, lid closes firmly Width: 4.5” (11.5cms). Depth: 2.25” (5.5cms). ------------------------------------ Rectangular well figured Tortoiseshell hinged lid trinket or snuff box, possibly Regency period Condition: Tiny loss at one corner, otherwise excellent. Width: (just under) 3.5” (8.5cms). ------------------------------------ Rectangular horn and Tortoiseshell Snuff Box...
Category

19th Century English Regency Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Silver

Italian Modern Dark Green Marble Obelisk Sculpture, circa 1970s
Located in New York, NY
An Italian '70s modern or Post-Modern period dark green marble obelisk sculpture, circa 1970s, Italy. Obelisk is green with white veining. Very go...
Category

1970s Italian Modern Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Marble

Ressort Letter Rack by Yonel Lebovic for Distrimex, 1969
Located in SOTTEVILLE-LÈS-ROUEN, FR
A scultural "ressort" model letter rack, designed by Yonel Lebovici in 1969. Chrome and plated steel in good and vintage condition.  
Category

1960s European Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Steel

Danese Milano Maiorca Black Pencil & Paperclip Aluminum Holder by Bruno Munari
Located in Hicksville, NY
Black Maiorca is a pencil and paperclip holder with fire resistant melamine shell and anodized aluminium interior fumé. Bruno Munari was one of the most important Italian architec...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Aluminum

Danese Milano Flores Black Box in Stainless Steel by Enzo Mari
Located in Hicksville, NY
Black Flores is a rounded, plastic pencil case. It is made up of two parts in polystyrene. The hinges are the distinctive invention of the designer and with their interlocking mechan...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Polystyrene

Brazilian Wood and Black Agate Onyx Round Box, Brazil 1980s
Located in New York, NY
A Brazilian hardwood and black and white agate onyx round jewelry or trinket box, in the Modern style Post-Modern period, circa, late-20th century, Brazil, 1980s, early 1990s. A hardwood round box with a black and white agate onyx lid. A great piece for a desk, vanity, nightstand table area to hold small items or jewelry, etc. Dimensions: 4.38" Diameter White German porcelain tray...
Category

Late 20th Century Brazilian Post-Modern Desk Accessories

Materials

Onyx, Agate

Antique Swiss Arts & Crafts Brown Green Blue Thoune Majolica Two Handled Vase
Located in New York, NY
Early 20th century Arts & Crafts Majolica art pottery two-handled vase made by the Swiss factory Thun / Thoune, circa 1910s. This two-handled vase, entirely handcrafted and hand-painted, is decorated with a modern Eastern accent...
Category

Early 20th Century Swiss Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories

Materials

Earthenware, Majolica

Calipso A4 Letter Tray in Corno Italiano, Lacquered Wood and Leather, Mod. 5303s
Located in Recanati, Macerata
Perfect to store paperwork on your desk, the Calipso A4 paper tray is imbued with textural beauty. Crafted in glossy black lacquered wood, the design is added an elegant allure by be...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Italian Desk Accessories

Materials

Chrome

Silver Plate Hoof Inkwell with Pen Rest, by Rowland Ward & Co
Located in Reepham, GB
A late 19th century silver plate mounted horse hoof inkwell, the lid and horseshoe of silver plate, the hinged lid opening to the glass inkwell wit...
Category

Late 19th Century European Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Silver Plate

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

Ceramic Inkwell, Late 19th Century, Sweden
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Fantastic ceramic inkwell, with what seems to be a pottery oven in the midst of two naivistic lions. You lift of the top lid to place pens and lift up the two lions heads for ink. Co...
Category

1870s Swedish Folk Art Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Ceramic

Vintage Rubber-Stamp, Italy, Early 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage rubber-stamp is an original object realized in brass in Italy in the early 20th century. Dimensions: 8 x 7 cm. Mint conditions.
Category

1970s Italian Vintage Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass

Art Deco Brass Desk Letter Holder, ca. Early 20th Century
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful, small, European Art Deco brass and black glass desk letter holder, circa 1930s, Europe, possibly France. A great piece for any desk, libr...
Category

Early 20th Century French Art Deco Desk Accessories

Materials

Brass

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

French Leather and Hide Vanity Jewelry Tray by Gilles Caffier
Located in New York, NY
A beautiful French leather and animal hide vanity jewelry tray by designer Gilles Caffier, Paris, France. This monochromatic tray has a leather wrapped frame with a plush animal hide base. A great piece for any vanity, nightstand table, dresser, desk, walk-in-closet, etc. With maker's mark on underside. Dimensions: 4.75" Depth x 9.32" Width. Agate dish...
Category

2010s French Desk Accessories

Materials

Hide, Leather

Antique Tortoiseshell Singing Bird Box, Most Probably by Bontems
Located in London, GB
A antique tortoiseshell singing bird box, most probably by Bontems, Going barrel movement, Gilt metal two-tone brilliance... When wound and start/stop slide moved to the right, the bird pops up through foliate chased gilt grille, then proceeds to move bone beak, wings and body from side-to-side to good complex continuous synchronized birdsong. The bird with streaked feathered plumage in brown, yellow, turquoise and red, lime green and purple iridescent highlights, highly polished lid interior for full bird reflection, in plain polished tortoiseshell case, twinned laurel leaf engraved bird lid border with the bird lid engraved with love birds and rose united beneath leaf swag arch, accentuated with gilt on silvered ground, hidden key...
Category

1880s French Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Tortoise Shell

Ancient Islamic Persian Khurasan Silver Inlaid Bronze Caligraphy Inkwell 1200
Located in Portland, OR
An important Islamic Khurasan bronze and silver-inlaid inkwell & cover, Eastern Persia, Circa 1200. The inkwell of cylindrical form and having a shallow dome top cover with a tall knopped finial and inlaid with a twin band of scrolled silver. The base of the dome and the rim of the cover having bands on interlaced silver inlay, the inkwell having three loop handles. The body of the inkwell having two bands of silver inlaid Naskh script, between the bands are twin panels...
Category

15th Century and Earlier Persian Islamic Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Silver, Bronze

Antique Black Forest Carved Wooden Pug Inkwell, 19th Century Dog Carving
Located in Bristol, GB
Antique Carving in the Form of a Dog Raised up on his hind legs, the head with original glass eyes tilts back to reveal the original glass inkwell ins...
Category

19th Century German Black Forest Antique Desk Accessories

Materials

Wood

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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