European Desk Accessories

A Louis Philippe bronze and ormolu desk set, comprising two ink wells and a powder shaker in the form of crenelated urns with anthemion-bud finia...

Count Gleichen’s Russian shell paperweight, the tooth shaped fragment of a Russian armament shell set above another of rectangular form both raised on a silver mount on an ebonized rectangular plinth, applied with a plaque reading ‘Two fragments of a Russian shell fired at Mr Fred Burne assist.t paymaster and Mr Henry Crave St John midshipman of H.M.S. Cumberland in Aug.t 1854 from Tsee Fort Bonarsund whilst conveying refreshments to the English camp – for their messmate – H.S.H. Prince Victor of Hohenlohe Midshipman landed with the Naval Brigade in 1854’. With a framed caricature of Count Gleichen inscribed Vanity Fair, London, July 5, 1884. Vice Admiral H.S.H Count Gleichen – the Queen’s Nephew.Russian and English, 1854. The print has the following biography on the reverse and on the mount ‘His Serene Highness Prince Victor …. of Hohenlohe-Langenburg, is better known in England as Count Gleichen and as the Queen’s nephew. Born fifty years ago, he was sent to school at Dresden; but at the age of fourteen he conceived ideas not to be bounded within the confines of the small life of a German principality. So he ran away from school to go to sea, and his aunt the Queen of England, being informed of the fact, proposed to her sister to let her adventurous nephew become naturalised as an Englishman and enter the English Navy. This was accordingly done, and Prince Victor, as he was then called, was appointed to the Powerful on the Mediterranean Station, in 1848. He served in the Crimean War and in the operations in China he proved a popular officer and a good sailor-man, and was three times wounded in battle. In 1861 he married the daughter of Admiral Sir George Seymour, sister of the fifth Marquis of Hertford on which occasion it was that he put down his title of Prince and took up for future use that of Count. He became, in due course a Vice-Admiral, and in the meantime he also became a sculptor. It is in the latter art that he now mainly busies himself, and he has created many pleasing busts of his royal relatives and some works of greater pretensions than family portraits. An Alfred the Great, a Beaconsfield, and a Prince Imperial...

"Simone" is a leather desk blotter, designed by Claude Bouchard and manufactured by Oscar Maschera. Genuine Italian leather vegetable tanned. Co...

"Antonio" is a leather pencil holder, designed by Claude Bouchard and manufactured by Oscar Maschera, and is part of Foglia Couture collection. G...

"Italo" is a leather out tray and paper holder, designed by Claude Bouchard and manufactured by Oscar Maschera. Genuine Italian leather vegetable tanned. Colors combination to be cho...

This spectacular piece has a shaped broad rectangular form and stands on four winged paw feet. The edge of the main body is decorated with gadrooning interspersed with raying shells,...

19th century model of a ship's capstan in mahogany with a hinged lid enclosing an inkwell.

"Lorenzo" is a riveted leather pencil holder, designed by Claude Bouchard and manufactured by Oscar Maschera. Genuine Italian leather vegetable t...

An elegant comb hand carved from cow horn with naturally occurring variations in color and pattern.

French Art Deco palisander and pewter inlaid inkwell with 2 crystal wells.

A very rare and important exhibition encrier by François Linke and Léon Messagé. French, circa 1900. Index number 709. Signed to the edge 'F. Linke'. This exceptional and ambitious encrier is modelled as two putti, each holding a standard and sitting on the water's edge, the two inkwells with hinged spirally-fluted covers with glass liners. This important inkwell is based on Léon Messagé's celebrated sculptural group 'La Source' and was originally intended by Linke to form part of his spectacular Stand at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. Like seven or eight other pieces originally intended for inclusion on the Stand, it would seem the encrier was a casualty of both Linke's over-ambitious production schedule and the financial burden that the manufacture of such ornate and high quality work imposed. It was eventually shown on the Stand in September after the gilding was finished by Picard at a cost of 90 French francs. The costs of the model were very high: some 2024 francs (of which Message's combined fee was 1158 francs 40 centimes), underlining the originality and complexity. The 1900 Exposition example was sold, along with three important pieces of furniture from the Stand (the Grand bureau and associated armchair, and the Bahut Louis XV Mars et Vénus), to the South African banker and diamond merchant Solomon Joel. A further six encriers were produced up until 1925. Object Literature: Payne, Christopher. François Linke, 1855-1946, The Belle Époque of French Furniture, p. 90, pl. 97; p. 149, pl. 157; p. 150; pp. 182-183, pls 197 & 198 as exhibited at the Liege exhibition in 1905 & p. 480 for the original notes in Linke's Blue daybook of the late 1890s. François Linke (1855 - 1946) was the most important Parisian cabinet maker of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and possibly the most sought after cabinet maker of his period. He was born in 1855 in the small village of Pankraz, in what is now the Czech Republic. Records show that Linke served an apprenticeship with the master cabinetmaker Neumann, then in 1875 at the age of 20 he arrived in Paris where he lived until he died in 1946. It is known that the fledgling Linke workshops were active in Paris in the Faubourg St. Antoine as early as 1881, and during this time he supplied furniture for other more established makers such as Jansen and Krieger. The quality of Linke's craftsmanship was unsurpassed by any of his contemporaries and reached its peak with his spectacular Stand at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900, where his Grand Bureau took the Gold Medal. He gambled his fortune and reputation on this Stand, exhibiting several breathtaking items of furniture with sculptural mounts of the most exceptional quality and proportion. His gamble worked and his reputation was established to such an extent that Linke continued to be the pre-eminent furniture house in Paris until the Second World War. As the Art Journal reported in 1900 on Linke's Stand: 'The work of M. Linke ... was an example of what can be done by seeking inspiration amongst the Classic examples of Louis XV and XVI without in any great sense copying these great works. M. Linke's work was original in the true sense of the word, and as such commended itself to the intelligent seeker after the really artistic things of the Exhibition. Wonderful talent was employed in producing the magnificent pieces of furniture displayed....' The formation of Linke's distinctive style was made possible by his collaboration with the sculptor Léon Messagé. Together Linke and Messagé designed furniture for Linke's 1900 exhibition Stand, with exuberant allegorical figures cast in high relief, that exemplified Linke's ability to seamlessly merge the different mediums of wood carving, bronze and marquetry into a dynamic unified whole. Today Linke is best known for the exceptionally high quality of his work, as well as his individualism and inventiveness. All of his work has the finest, most lavish mounts, very often applied to comparatively simple carcasses. The technical brilliance of his work and the artistic change that it represented were never to be repeated. Bibliography: Payne, Christopher. François Linke, (1855 - 1946), The Belle Époque of French Furniture, Antique Collectors' Club, (Woodbridge, UK), 2003. Meyer, Jonathan. Great Exhibitions - London, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, 1851-1900, Antique Collectors' Club, (Woodbridge, UK), 2006; pp. 298 - 300. LeDoux - Lebard, Denise. Les Ébénistes du XIXe siècle, Les Editions de l'Amateur, (Paris), 1984; pp. 439-43. Revue Artistique & Industrielle, (Paris), July-August 1900. Coral Thomsen, D. (ed), The Paris Exhibition 1900, The Art Journal, 1901; p.341. Léon Messagé (1842-1901) had a brilliant, but short lived career. He is best known for his incredible sculptural collaboration with François Linke for the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. A gifted sculptor, Messagé was also responsible for much of the design and creative work for Roux et Brunet and Joseph-Emmanuel Zwiener. Messagé enjoyed great success as a designer/sculptor before his collaboration with Linke. Indeed he was mentioned as a Gold Medal winner at the 1889 International Exhibition and was especially praised for his work on a cabinet by Zwiener. He came into contact with Linke in 1885 and it appears from then on Linke employed him on a regular basis. Messagé was primarily influenced by Rococo ornament but he strove to re-interpret it. He did not produce slavish copies, and his original approach can be appreciated in Linke's celebrated Grande Bibliothèque and Grand Bureau exhibited at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. A number of drawings by Messagé are recorded and after his success at the exhibition of 1889 he was encouraged to publish his designs. 'Cahier...

An exceptional, fine and impressive, antique Edwardian English glass and sterling silver match striker; an addition to our ornamental collection. This exceptional antique Edwardian sterling silver and glass match striker has a globular form. The surface of the glass body is embellished with a serrated texture which composes a match striker. The upper portion of this example of antique silverware retains the original, plain hallmarked sterling silver mount which continues to line the match receiver; this solid silver lining indicates the high quality of the piece. By virtue of its size and weight, this versatile match striker could be utilised as a paperweight. Condition This antique 20th century match striker glass match holder...

Large, Edwardian, sterling silver and blue guilloche enamel-mounted magnifying glass, Birmingham, England, 1906, Geo. Hope - maker. Measures almost 9 inches long x 3 3/4 inches diame...

An Art Noveau or Jugend patinated bronze pen and inkwell with an owl sitting in the center. The owl have inset glass eyes. Made ca.1900. Possibly Swedish. Symbolism of the owl: The...

This beautiful cameo glass inkwell displays the brilliance of the renowned Daum Nancy, a firm long celebrated for their masterful ability to recreate the beauty of nature in glass. A...

Hallmarked in London in 1935 by Collett & Anderson, this stylish, George V, sterling silver rocker blotter, is in the Art Deco style, with a tortoiseshe...

Hallmarked in London in 1913 by George Betjemann & Sons, this handsome set of Antique Sterling Silver Postal Scales, are plain in design, and have the original silver plated weights....

Art Deco period Egyptian revival style enamel and silver-gilt desk set Continental, c.1920 Box: height 10.5cm, width 27cm, depth 26cm Inkwell: height 7.5cm, width 16.5cm, depth 8c...

Maccassar Letter rack by Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann graduated semi-circle slats on l base, Iron stamped: "Ruhlmann

Scotch holder in brass. Ideal for keeping adhesive tape close at hand.

"Astuccio" is a leather case, designed and manufactured by Oscar Maschera. Genuine Italian leather vegetable tanned. Colors combination to be chosen from the available range: tan, si...

"Carlo" is a riveted leather wastepaper bin, designed by Claude Bouchard and manufactured by Oscar Maschera. Genuine Italian leather vegetable tanned. Colors combination to be chosen from the available range: tan, sienna, orange, red, red-purple, dark brown, khaki, blue, black. DIMENSIONS: D. 10.2", W. 10.2", H. 13.3" The leather is doubled to obtain greater thickness and a color contrast between inner and outer surfaces; it's then folded and held together by metal rivets: the object has taken shape. Leather, robust and soft, which maturates over time like wood, wine, brandy and cheese, is a material suitable for a living relationship with people and things it has to do with: it absorbs their scent and gives its own. It protects, gathers and changes shape, as it retains something of the life it once had. Past experiences in working with leather, with objects of common use transformed into their own form by the material of which they were made (baskets, boxes, trays, writing-desk items, small pieces of furniture, in addition to bags and cases, of course) have led Oscar Maschera to today’s production which has exceeded even the limits of explicit reality to get the pure form of the objects, reaching beyond the risky limit of mere functionality. CLAUDE BOUCHARD, interior architect and designer by training, is well known for his pieces of design in ceramics, porcelain, glass, metal and wood for firms such as Hermès...

A George V silver double inkstand presented to Major Seymour Egerton, Coldstream Guards, by Prince Arthur Duke of Connaught & Strathearn, of rectangular fo...

The early Victorian silver Rococo Revival inkstand of General Charles Nepean, of rectangular form, with two silver mounted, cut glass inkwells, flanking a central wax holder, surmoun...

A Rare Louis XV Style Gilt-Bronze Inkwell. Designed by Léon Messagé and Cast By The Ferdinand Barbedienne Foundry, Paris. Designed in the exuberant Rococo style surmounted by a sea...

This exquisite French writing desk casket is a stellar example of neoclassical craftsmanship. Fashioned from Doré bronze and adorned with royal blue enamel, it features a classical t...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique George V English sterling silver Art Deco ink box; an addition to our ornamental silverware collection This exceptional antique George V ...

This stunning enamel, silvered metal, and gilt metal "Pavot" inkwell by Eugène Feuillâtre features peacock feather embellishments. The Inkwell lies under the gilded and silvered metal poppy seed pod lid, to which the title pavot (translated to English as poppy) refers. The vessel is vaguely pumpkin-shaped with negative space in a honeydew green, with white peacock feathers featuring purple and turquoise details. Product Details: Item #: S-21164 Artist: Eugène Feuillâtre Country: France Circa: 1900 Dimensions: 2.25" height, 3.5" diameter Materials: Enamel, Silvered Metal, Gilt Metal Signed: impressed Feuillâtre Exhibition History: Examples of this inkwell can be found in the permanent collections of Musée d’Art et d’Histoire, Geneva (inv. no. E 01500), Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (inv. no. 8746), and Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg (inv. no. 1966.1). Salon des Artistes français, 1898. Literature: L. Bénédite, et. al., "Exposition Universelle de 1900: Les Beaux-Arts et les Arts Decoratifs," Gazette des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1900, p. 510 (for a related example). H. Frantz, "E. Feuillatre, Emailleur," L’Art Décoratif, no. 28, Paris, January 1901, p. 166 (for a related example). C. Saunier, "Céramique, Verrerie, Émail," L’Art Décoratif, no. 34, Paris, July 1901, p. 155 (for a related example). R. Marx, La Décoration et les Industries d'Art à l'Exposition Universelle de 1900, Paris, 1901, p. 95 (for a related example). M. P. Verneuil, "L'Émail et les Émailleures," Art et Décoration, no. 2, Paris, February 1904, pp. 37-39 (for a related example). M. Rheims, L'Objet 1900, Paris, 1964, p. 34, no. 18 (for a related example). P. Garner, ed., The Encyclopedia of Decorative Arts 1890-1940, New York, 1978, p. 95 (for a related example). Die Jugendstil - Sammlung: Band 1: Künstler A-F, exh. cat., Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, 1979, pp. 465-466, cat. no. 655. A. Duncan, The Paris Salons 1895-1914, Volume V: Objets d'Art & Metalware, Suffolk, 1994, p. 252 (for related examples). G. de Bartha, L'Art 1900: La Collection Neumann, New York, 1994, p. 128 (for a related example). J. T. Busch and C. L. Futter, Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851-1939, exh. cat., Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, 2012, p. 196, no. 9 (for a related example). Macklowe Gallery Curator's Notes: Eugène Feuillâtre’s career began in René Lalique’s enamelling...

A Regency tortoiseshell and ivory desk set, of shaped rectangular form with two glass inkwells, an ivory pot and two ivory pen holders above a curved pen tra...

A green-glazed ceramic pen holder designed by Arthur Percy and produced by Gefle, Sweden, c. 1930s.

In the manner of Paul Storr. A very rare George IV Bachelor Inkstand made in Sheffield in 1822 by Thomas & James Settle. This exceptionally rare Inkstand is modelled in the bachelor...

An important, and extremely rare, early George III Gold & Enamel Magnifying Glass, with original red leather case. Made almost certainly in London circa 1770. The Gold case is of sh...

Viennese cold-painted bronze and marble inkstand by Franz Xaver Bergman Austrian, c. 1910 Height 22cm, width 40cm, depth 17cm Crafted by the renowned Franz Xaver Bergman (1861-1936)...

A Black Forest carved wood inkwell with wheat sheafs and poultry, made of ebonised fruitwood naturalistically carved with a cockerel and hen perched on a rocky outcrop, bundles of wh...

A silver-bowl made in 1982 by the Swedish silversmith Jan Lundgren. The bowl was made as a price in horse racing and has an inscription that says “Dagens Nyheters Vinterfavorit 1982”...

"Proust" is a leather mouse pad, designed by Claude Bouchard and manufactured by Oscar Maschera. Genuine Italian leather vegetable tanned. Colors combinatio...

This exceptional sterling silver inkwell was presented to Henry Morton Stanley, the famed Welsh-American journalist, politician and explorer, on the occasion of his marriage to Dorothy Tennant. The inkwell was a royal gift from the Prince of Wales, the future King George V, and the Princess of Wales. The charming inkstand was designed by Walter & John Barnard for the royal silversmiths Elkington & Co., and no detail was spared in its creation. Each inkwell bears Stanley’s monogram, while the crest of the Prince and Princess adorns the delicately pierced tray. The inscription reads, “To H. M. Stanley on the occasion of his marriage / From the Prince & Princess of Wales / July 12th, 1880.” Born in Wales, Henry Morton Stanley’s lifetime of adventure began at the young age of 15 when he crossed the Atlantic aboard a merchant vessel and jumped ship in New Orleans. The young orphan was taken in by a local merchant named Henry Morton Stanley, whose name he took as his own. Stanley began a career as a journalist and was commissioned by the New York Herald to go to Central Africa in search of the famous missionary David Livingstone...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver and blown glass ink bottle made by Horace Woodward & Co; an addition to our ornamental silverware collection. This exceptional antique Victorian glass and sterling silver ink bottle has a circular rounded, shaped form. This Victorian ink bottle is fitted with the original hallmarked silver cylindrical mount to the upper portion, encircled with a cast and applied band of oval motifs. The mount is fitted with a hinged hallmarked cover, featuring a subtly concave upper plateau and encompassed with an applied egg decorated to the rim. The cover opens to reveal a circular sunken well and removable glass ink liner. The exceptional body of the antique ink bottle...

A RARE AND FINE REGENCY ROSEWOOD WRITING SLOPE England, circa 1815; includes a circa 1849 quill by Isaac Parkes Item # 801EZX27 An inordinately fine box, the exterior is dressed wit...

A Black Forest carved box Constructed from stained and patinated Lindenwood, the lockable box carved to resemble a tied sheaf with its accom...

Piero Fornasetti Ceramic Pebble Capricorn Zodiac Paperweight, Titled Capricornus for the Astrological Sign Capricorn, Circa 1960 The oval ceramic...

Cast bronze set of objects designed in the 1990s by French artists Elisabeth Garouste et Mattia Bonetti for Herbert Blome signed B.G. BLOME B.G.H. EDITIONS/BLOME. A set was sold by W...

Hallmarked in London in 1902 by William Hornby, and retailed originally by Asprey of London, this handsome, Edwardian, Antique Sterling Silver Seal Stamp, i...

FontanaArte is an Italian company founded in Milan (as Fontana Arte) in 1932 by Luigi Fontana and Giò Ponti and specializing in glass processing and the production of furnishing accessories. It is known for working with curved crystal and producing lighting fixtures, becoming a prominent name in Italian design over the years. Here we have a vertical "Soliflore" vase model 2393 in thick crystal and nickel-plated brass by Fontana Arte designed in 50s. This decorative object is a perfect idea for a gift (wedding, graduation, new born...

Antique silver inkstand of impressive proportions, made at the end of King William IV's reign. The inkstand has finely detailed scroll and leaf pattern cast mounts and rets on four s...

A fine quality brass inlaid Campaign style traveling desk with a recessed brass handle engraved with the name of its owner, Anne Orten. The piece opens to reveal a velvet lined writi...

An exceptional, fine and impressive, large antique George V English sterling silver and glass match striker; an addition to our ornamenta...

French midcentury (1980s-1990s) limited edition (28/450) " Victor Hugo" crystal inkwell with a six-sided shape and a cut star base (signed BACCARAT). Baccarat Crystal has, from the...

Victorian Period, sterling silver-mounted dark gray agate letter opener/paper knife, Sheffield, England, year-hallmarked for 1900, Mappin and Webb - makers....

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Norwegian silver gilt and enamel wax seal container and stamp; an addition to our diverse enamel work collection. This exceptional antique Norwegian silver gilt wax seal container / stamp has a cylindrical tapering form. The surface of this exceptional antique silver wax seal...

Art Deco period, sterling silver-mounted blue enamel letter opener/paper knife, Chester, England, year-hallmarked for 1922, H.E. and F.E. Barker of Barker Brothers, Ltd - makers. Measures almost 3/4 inches deep x 1/2 inch high (at highest point when lying flat) x 8 3/4 inches long. Lovely, etched pattern on sterling silver blade...

Crafted of brilliant doré bronze and fine brocatelle marble, this wonderful Napoleon III-period inkwell is as functional as it is beautiful. In a style reminiscent of Louis XV Rococo...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique George V English 9-carat yellow gold vesta case; an addition to our boxes and cases collection. This exceptiona...

Two resin cubes, each containing a sphere, designed by Enzo Mari. Made in Italy by Danese Milano, 1950s.

French Art Nouveau desk table lamp by Charles Schneider (Epinay-sur-Seine, Paris), France, C.1920 on stylised bronze base. The base also with concealed opening for an inkwell. The glass shade was made of blown double glass. Measures approximately 14.00 x 8.00 x 6.00 inches. Lamp shade, white, orange, and amber yellow. Signed Schneider on the shade (difficult to photograph see photos), also with signed base for probably the foundry. The Schneider Glassworks, established by brothers Charles and Ernest Schneider in Epinay-sur-Seine, France, in 1917. Very small chip to top shade fitting, see last photograph. The Schneider Glassworks, established by brothers Charles and Ernest Schneider in Epinay-sur-Seine, France, in 1917, was among the leading producers of fine-art glass between the two world wars, creating exuberantly colorful vessels...

An English brass mounted standish with a single drawer and a central handle flanked by 2 replaced inkwells. The piece is centered by a beautifully engraved brass decorative element a...

Rare early 19th century George IV English porcelain inkwell by Coalport in the naturalistic form. Referred to as ‘Coalbrookdale’ this piece has been modeled in the form of a lemon fr...

Piero Fornasetti Ceramic Zodiac "Libra" Pebble Paperweight, Original Gold Box, 1960s This rare Piero Fornasetti Ceramic pebble paperweight in its original gold presentation box....