Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 10

Inkwell w/ Chinese Jade and Carnelian and Silver Mounts by Edward Farmer, 1920s

$16,500
£12,533.10
€14,442.38
CA$23,236.09
A$25,760.64
CHF 13,538.22
MX$315,267.96
NOK 169,078.61
SEK 158,697.19
DKK 107,803.39

About the Item

Memorialized as an art and antique dealer and "collector of Chinese jades and porcelains" in a 1942 obituary in the New York Times, Edward Farmer, like his father, traveled to China many times to gather pieces of jade and hardstone, later assembling them into gorgeous, jewel-like pieces such as this inkwell at his shop in Manhattan. This piece includes four Chinese elements: a pale green tray, a spinach jade bowl, a carved jade medallion, and a carnelian sculpture, all with engraved sterling silver mounts that Farmer himself created. The lid is hinged, and inside -- like a pearl inside an oyster -- is the inkwell, washed in gold, with a removable insert. Farmer made a number of exquisite objects over the years, including lamps and boxes, but in our opinion this is one of his finest. The piece is signed and marked "Sterling."
  • Creator:
    Edward Farmer (Artist)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 5.25 in (13.34 cm)Width: 5.75 in (14.61 cm)Depth: 4.25 in (10.8 cm)
  • Style:
    Art Deco (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    Circa 1920s
  • Condition:
  • Seller Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU865146477642

More From This Seller

View All
Art Deco Caviar Server Etruscan Style Female Nude, Silvered Brass & Lucite
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Truly striking and beautiful, this large and beautiful caviar server surmounted by a sculpted Etruscan style female nude figure holding a shield is highly rare, probably unique. The ...
Category

Vintage 1930s European Art Deco Serving Bowls

Materials

Silver Plate

"Egyptian Revival Centerpiece, " Art Deco Footed Bowl, Bronze and Stone, France
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Striking and beautifully made from speckled serpentine and bronze by a French artist, this Egyptian Revival / Art Deco footed bowl or centerpiece ...
Category

Vintage 1920s French Art Deco Decorative Bowls

Materials

Stone, Bronze

"Tray of Oranges", Rare Art Deco Perfume Warmer w/ North African Figure
Located in Philadelphia, PA
For a French woman in the 1920s, this figure of a turbaned North African woman, resplendent in a yellow robe and carrying a tray loaded with orange...
Category

Vintage 1920s French Art Deco Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Ceramic

"The Kiss, " Romantic, Rare Bronze Inkwell/Pen Tray with Nudes and Aquatic Motif
By Otto Strandman
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Rare and striking, this large, bronze desk accessory, a combination inkwell and large pen tray, depicts nude male and female figures, shown at the crest of a wave, in the midst of a gentle kiss. This sculpture puts the couple in an aquatic setting, almost as if they are mermaid and merman, with the movement of water and the cresting of waves shown throughout the piece. The sculptor, Otto Strandman...
Category

Vintage 1920s Swedish Art Nouveau Inkwells

Materials

Bronze

"Dragon Compotes, " Mid-Century Chinese-Inspired Centerpieces, Glass & Resin
By Dorothy Thorpe
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This pair of stunning and unique compotes, composed of glass with resin bases and lids, was designed by Dorothy Thorpe, one of the most prolific and important women designers in Mid-...
Category

Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Centerpieces

Materials

Glass, Resin

"Art Deco Bowl w/ Medieval Shields", Rare Bowl w/ Flambe Glazes, Brown and Green
By Fulper Pottery
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Rare and striking, this Art Deco bowl by the renowned Fulper Pottery features its signature flambe glazes inside the bowl -- in shades of caramel, green and blue -- in addition to three Medieval-influenced shields applied to the rim, each with knight's helmet and star motifs. Founded in 1809, Fulper produced utilitarian ware in the Trenton, New Jersey area for many years, but in 1910 Martin Stangl became the ceramics engineer and artistic director, producing a line of Art Nouveau and Art Deco pieces...
Category

Vintage 1920s American Art Deco Decorative Bowls

Materials

Ceramic

You May Also Like

Art Deco Chinoiserie Ormolu Carved Hardstone- Quartz Inkwell by Edward Farmer
By Edward Farmer
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Art Deco Chinoiserie Ormolu Carved Hardstone-Quartz Inkwell by Edward Farmer USA, circa 1925 This exquisite Art Deco Chinoiserie inkwell is attributed to the workshop of Edward Fa...
Category

20th Century American Art Deco Inkwells

Materials

Multi-gemstone, Ormolu

20th Century Marble French Art Deco Inkwell, 1930
Located in Vicoforte, Piedmont
French marble inkstand from the Art Deco era. Inkwell for antique dealers and collectors of excellent quality and difficult to find. Object built with different marble elements appli...
Category

Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Inkwells

Materials

Marble

Antique Sterling Silver Nephrite and Rose Quartz Inkstand
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive, unusual antique George V English sterling silver, nephrite and rose quartz inkstand; an addition to our ornamental silverware collection. This exceptional antique sterling silver gilt inkstand has a rectangular, cut cornered form. The cast silver gilt George V inkstand is embellished with four mythological creatures, each with a scaled body and the lower portion of a fish, in addition to an open jawed dragon style head and clawed legs. The ornamentation to the body includes two vacant circular cartouches in addition to two pellet designs, segmenting the creatures. The stand is further ornamented with an undulating leaf textured border to the rim, The surface of this exceptional example of antique silverware incorporates two applied C-shaped supports, composing a pen stand. This antique hallmarked silver inkstand is supported by four impressive cast feet accented with large scrolling terminals and tri-lobed sockets. The stand incorporates a central circular receiver which accommodates the original nephrite ink pot. This exceptional carved nephrite inkpot is fitted with a hallmarked sterling silver gilt lining and incorporates two hand pieces modelled in the form of mythical creatures grasping the aforementioned liner rim. The inkpot retains the original hallmarked push fit cover surmounted with an exceptional rose quartz finial realistically modelled in the form of a squirrel. This exceptional and unusual ink pot is fitted with a removable glass liner. This antique inkstand...
Category

Vintage 1920s British Inkwells

Materials

Sterling Silver

Edward Farmer New York Sterling and Dragon Carnelian Art Deco Matchbox Cover
By Edward Farmer
Located in Ann Arbor, MI
Edward Farmer New York Sterling and dragon carnelian art deco matchbox cover Signed as shown. We believe the original stone to be Carnelian, but are...
Category

Vintage 1920s American Art Deco Snuff Boxes and Tobacco Boxes

Materials

Sterling Silver

Jade Carnelian and Sterling Cigarette Box with Decorative Rooster Top circa 1920
Located in Ann Arbor, MI
Jade Carnelian and sterling cigarette box with decorative rooster top circa 1920‘S. Sterling is signed and numbered on the bottom. Amazing sterl...
Category

Vintage 1920s Art Deco Cigar Boxes and Humidors

Materials

Jade

Tiffany Studios New York Zodiac Patinated Bronze Inkwell, Circa 1910
By Tiffany Studios
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous antique Arts & Crafts period patinated bronze inkwell featuring Zodiac designs By Tiffany Studios (signed to the underside) New York, USA, Early 20th Century Measures: ...
Category

Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Inkwells

Materials

Bronze