Rare 19th Century Russian Ormolu, Hand-Diamond Cut Crystal and Jeweled Inkwell

An unusual 19th century French ormolu mounted crystal centerpiece or candelabra, the crystal attributed to Baccarat. The crystal bowl has a beautiful prismic pattern which has been h...

A Very Large 19th Century Antique French Baccarat Crystal and Ormolu Mounted Covered Box, Attributed to Baccarat. This incredible large crystal box is all hand-diamond cut and attri...

A Fantastic, Rare, and Large 19th Century French Baccarat Ormolu and Crystal Centerpiece. The piece consists of two thick and dense crystal...

A beautiful pair of hand diamond cut Russian crystal and doré bronze mounted oval shaped centerpieces in the Louis XVI style, attributed to the Imperial Russian Glass Manufactory, early 1800s. Each beautiful hand diamond cut crystal bowl...

A fine French Empire ormolu desk standish. Set upon a circular base with top and bottom mouldings cast with leaf and dart decoration. The space be...

A gilt-bronze and crystal desk set of the Napoleon III period. Composed of two crystal ink wells, a raised pen tray, and a sculptural depiction of a f...

An Exquisite and Rare French Louis XVI Style Ormolu-Mounted Bloodstone Inkwell, circa 1875. A truly exceptional and jewel like quality inkwell encrier, made with the finest ormolu, mounted on bloodstone. A true collectors and one of a kind piece. Revival of the ancient régime in the late 19th century was paramount to the French furniture and bronze casting firms of the Belle Epoque. Imitation in the highest regard and replication of those tastes and styles was prevalent throughout the Paris Faubourg, where the most talented bronziers and ébénistes established their workshops. The present inkwell encrier recalls the late 18th century's obsession with hardstones - a taste expounded above all by the duc d'Aumont and, subsequently Marie-Antoinette. Such hardstone-mounted pieces, reminiscent of Renaissance schatzkammer objects, enjoyed a revived popularity at the end of the 18th century through the impetus of both the marchands-mercier and, more importantly, the hôtel des Menus-Plaisirs, where the duc d'Aumont himself established a workshop in 1770 specializing in the cutting and polishing of precious hardstones. This exceptional inkwell encrier, sumptuously-mounted with finely chased gilt-bronzes, incorporates a highly-prized material such as bloodstone. Sometimes called the Sunstone, the meaning of Bloodstone comes entangled in fascinating history. The Ancient Greeks held the Bloodstone as a gem with glorious powers. They referred to it as Heliotrope, which directly translates to Sunstone. It was believed to have heavenly healing powers gifted by the gods and most certainly when it came to healing all things related to the blood. Even as we move forward into the Middle Ages, the Bloodstone takes another mystical story under its wing. It was believed to be formed from Christ's blood. It was said that during the Crucifixion, a few red spots of his blood dripped...

Antique French bronze D'Ore and cut crystal inkwell desk set on stand, Circa 1900. Includes inkwell, pen holder, pen nib brush and drip box.