19th Century 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...

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

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,...

Retailed by Tiffany and Co. The three compartments decorated with gadrooning, shells and floral finials, with additional laurel leaf garlands flanking a central shell on the base, th...

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 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...

Victorian Classical sterling silver paper knife. Made by Tiffany & Co. in New York, ca 1885. Serpentine and integral with hollow handle tapering into flat blade. Handle has allover f...

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...

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...

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...

This exquisite inkwell by the legendary Grachev Brothers was made for Czar Nicholas of Russia. Featuring intricately cut glass in a star pattern, the inkwell rests upon an exquisite ...

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...

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...

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

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...

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...

Iranian Qajar period lacquered and lithographed wood pencase. Iranian, 19th century. Measures: Height 4cm, width 23cm, depth 4cm. This antique Iranian...

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 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...

Marked MC-31 for Micaud.

Fitted with candle arms in the shape of horns surmounted by a nozzle with gadrooned circular drip pans and with headdress moulded as cover opening to reveal a circular detachable gla...

This beautiful Empire bronze sculpture shows winged Amor carrying Venus, she is holding a wreath in her right hand, surrounded within a circula...

A Baccarat huntsman sulphide paperweight on translucent red ground Measures: height 4.5 cm (1 3/4") Diameter 9 cm (3 1/2") Period 1850-1899 Year 1850 ...

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...

Victorian era inkstand with Boulle marquetry in ebonised wood and brass English, dated 1853 Measures: Height 17cm, width 38.5cm, depth 27.5cm This 19th Century English inkstand ...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique yellow gold and enamel parasol handle and rib tip set; an addition to our diverse enamelwork collection. This exceptional antique parasol handle...

Iznik-style ceramic and brass-mounted ink stand French, 19th Century Height 10.5cm, width 34cm, depth 19cm Revealing a vase and flowers contained in a border of repeating pattern-work, with two lidded inkwells flanking a central holder, this remarkable desk-piece is a very fine Iznik style inkstand, made in France in the late nineteenth century. Stylistically, it draws upon earlier Islamic...

Victorian brass inlaid ebonised wood Boulle inkstand English, 19th century Measures: height 12.5cm, width 38cm, depth 23.5cm Made from ebonised wo...

Black Forest Breinzware Walnut Inkwell, carved as a reclining Swiss Mountain Dog, with a hinged top, and two interior glass inkwells, Brienz, Switzerland ...

A magnificent, fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver inkstand / desk standish; an addition to our ornamental silverware collection This magnificent, fine and impressive antique Victorian inkstand...

Antique silver inkstand inkwell, London 1899 Goldsmiths and Silversmiths Co. Plain rectangular form on four turned feet, shaped Chippendale li...

A beautiful and exclusive clock stand made of steel and granite. Holding a picture of the Stephans-dome. The most famous church in Wienna, Austria. High quality craftsmanship on all...

An Ashford (Derbyshire) black marble pen tray, of rectangular form with two pen trays and a small circular well centred under a bronze handle in the form entwined serpents, the pen trays decorated with inlaid pietra dura borders. English, circa 1850. Ashford marble is a type of limestone which can be polished to a glossy black finish. It is quarried in only two sites in Derbyshire and has been used as a decorative building material since Bess of Hardwick commissioned a chimney piece of Ashford stone for Chatsworth. In the 18th century Henry Watson...

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...

A magnificent, fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver inkstand / desk standish; an addition to our ornamental silverware collection This magnificent, fine and impressive antique Victorian sterling silver inkstand / desk standish has a rectangular shaped form. This antique inkstand is plain and embellished with chased and embossed egg decorated borders. The surface of this exceptional example of antique silverware incorporates two elongated oval recesses, composing pen wells. This antique hallmarked silver inkstand is supported by four impressive cast paw style feet embellished with scroll and leaf decoration in junction with the plain collet rim. The body of the inkstand incorporates two cylindrical ink bottles flanking a central rectangular stamp box. The impressive ink bottles are each embellished with impressive applied rams head masks conjoined with swag decoration, in addition to leaf and egg decorated borders. Each ink bottle is surmounted with a push fit cover, allowing access to the original glass liner. The centre of each cover is fitted with a cast silver flame decorated finial; once removed this provides a pierced hole for access to the contents of the ink bottle. The central sterling silver stamp box...

Black Forest Breinzware Large Inkwell, carved as begging terrier with tongue protruding, with inset glass eyes, the hinged head concealing a glass inkwel...

Black Forest Breinzware Inkwell, carved as begging terrier with tongue protruding, with inset glass eyes, the hinged head concealing a glass inkwell, the dogs front paws mounted on a naturalistically carved hollowed tree forming the pen tray, Brienz, Switzerland ca. 1880. *Jay Arenski, et al, quotes Swiss Poet Heinrich Federer, who said in his memoirs, "Woodcarving brought riches to the village [of Brienz]. It became all the fashion and no Englishman left the Bernese Highlands without having seen the Giessbach, having eaten a fat roasted eel, and having bought a Brienz woodcarving." Arenski continues, "Thus, as the tourist industry flourished and thrived, so did the carvers, selling their wares to the well-heeled visitors." This fashion had been set in motion by Queen Victoria's visit to the area in April 1868, and by her subsequent inspiration to build a Swiss chalet at Osborne House and fill it with Black Forest Swiss carvings...

Silver-gilt and cloisonné enamel Russian writing set Moscow, 1899-1908 Case: 3.5cm high x 23 cm wide x 7.5cm deep. Pencil: length 13cm, 0.5cm in diameter...

A very fine Russian giltbronze mounted malachite veneered paperweight dating from the early to mid-19th century. The plinth of rectangular form surmounted by a fully sculpted giltbro...

French Empire-style (19th Century) bronze double inkwell with eagle on top and rectangular green marble base.

An exceptional, fine and impressive, large antique Victorian English sterling silver and glass match striker, an addition to our ornamen...

Aesthetic Movement, sterling silver calling card/business card case in original, velvet lined leather box, London, year-hallmarked for 1860, George ...

An exceptional, fine and impressive, antique Victorian English sterling silver and red cranberry glass inkwell; an addition to our ornamental silverware collection This exceptional antique Victorian sterling silver inkwell has a circular shaped domed form. The body of this exceptional antique inkwell is embellished with impressive pierced and embossed scrolling leaf decoration, accented with pensile, baluster style bead motifs. The ornamentation to the body incorporates five oval cartouches; four are ornamented with an embossed male profile: two bearded males and two in a soldier's helmet. The cartouche to the anterior surface of the inkwell features the contemporary engraved crest of a stag encompassed with a garter and the motto 'God and my Honour'. The intricate sterling silver body of the inkwell incorporates five conical shaped pen receivers. The swept waisted upper portion of this antique inkwell is fitted with a hinged hallmarked cover, ornamented with engraved simplified leaf decoration. The cover is surmounted with an impressive embossed three-dimensional bust of a male figure in robes. This antique inkwell retains the original and substantial red cranberry glass ink bottle liner, with a cut glass star motif to the underside; the cranberry glass liner is highly desirable. This exceptional silver and glass inkwell is supported by five swept feet, ornamented with a continuation of scrolling leaf and circular motif decoration from the body. This exceptional example of Victorian silverware, crafted by the renowned London silversmith Joseph Angell II, is the finest example of its type Condition This antique ink bottle...

Pair of figural bronze paperweights over cararra marble bases. circa early 19th century; models of "Il Porcellino" and "Wounded Stag" Item # C104009 A superb pair of 19th century p...

A beautiful Antique Victorian Solid Silver Inkstand with two glass lined Inkwells with hinged lids. The base of the inkstand has a classic Greek Key pattern around the sides and rows of chased patterning on the body connected with ornate stylised acanthus leaves. The Inkwell stands on four shaped feet. Made in Sheffield, England in 1871 by James Dixon & Sons. Approx. Weight (Silver Only) - 1130g / 36.33oz Approx. Length - 32.4cm Approx. Width - 19.4cm This Inkstand has full English Hallmarks. This Victorian Inkstand...

English Victorian brass owl inkwell on rectangular tray.  

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver desk standish; an addition to our ornamental silverware collection This exceptional antique Victorian sterling silver desk standish has a naturalistic-shaped form. The surface of the stand is embellished with impressive bright cut engraved scrolling leaf and floral ornamentation, incorporating a scroll bordered cartouche bearing the contemporary bright cut engraved crest of an elephant's head. The stand is further ornamented with scrolling designs encompassing an oval recess, composing a pen well. The rim of the body of the sterling silver inkstand...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver fox inkstand; an addition to our ornamental silverware collection. This exceptional, fine and impressive antique Victorian silver inkstand / desk standish, has a rectangular form. This inkstand is fitted with a gallery, embellished with impressive pierced and applied scrolling foliate ornamentation. The shaped, incurved rims of the body and anterior rim of the sterling silver inkstand are ornamented with a paralleling applied gadroon decorated border. The surface of the fox silver inkstand incorporates a concave oval pen receiver. The body of the inkstand incorporates two ink bottle receivers flanking a rectangular stamp box. The impressive hallmarked ink bottles each have a tapering cylindrical form and are embellished with further pierced scrolling foliate ornamentation; these ink bottles secure to the stand with a screw fitment to the underside. Each ink bottle is fitted with a plain domed hinged cover and opens to allow access to the original glass liner. The central sterling silver stamp box...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver and glass inkstand / desk standish; an addition to our ornamental silverware collection This magnificent, fine and impressive antique Victorian silver inkstand / desk standish, has a rectangular shaped form. This Victorian inkstand...

An exceptional, fine and impressive, rare antique George IV Newcastle sterling silver inkstand made by Thomas Wheatley; an addition to our orn...

French Empire-style (19th Century) 4 piece bronze inkwell set with swan design. Inkwell, paperweight, pen holder, sandwell for cleaning nibs.(PRICED AS SET...

French Empire-style (19th century) bronze dore rectangular inkwell on 4 clawed feet with relief (signed BARBEDIENNE).  

19th century rock crystal seal French, 19th century Measures: Height 6.5cm, diameter 3cm Crafted from rock crystal, this wonderful antiq...

An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Victorian sterling silver pin cushion modelled in the form of a shoe made by Adie & Lovekin Ltd; an addition to our animal related silverware collection. This exceptional antique sterling silver pin cushion...