19th Century Malachite and Gilt Bronze Inkwell

Empire period gilt bronze and bird's eye maple veneer inkwell. This model is an exact replica of the inkwell that belonged to Elisa Bonaparte, Princess of Lucca and Piombino, sister...

Small inkwell crafted in porcelain, the paunch and lid decorated with a frieze of polychromatic floral motives highlighted with gold. The lid topped by a pine cone finial features a ...

French 19th century gilt bronze-mounted porcelain jardinière. It is decorated on the exterior with a couple in a landscape on one side and with a bird on a branch on the other side. ...

Inkwell in agate set in a vermeil mount. The agate cut is closed by a finely chiseled lid of foliage patterns and whose grip is adorned with a head of putti. The handle, which is dec...

Second Empire green glass inkwell circa 1870 .rare color .Encased in gilt metal Empire styled mounts ,swans drinking from a fountain. The lid shows a woman with bust . The ovoid gree...

Rare and exceptional 19th century Russian gilt bronze and malachite inkwell. Gilt Sphinx with two ink deposits and double sided pen holders.

A richly engraved gilded bronze inkwell decorated with cabochon polished malachite stones Fully engraved in Louis XIV style 19th century both glass inside inkholders missing 11.5 x ...

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...