Figural InkwellGnome Inkwell on Engraved Dish, Patinated Metal Desk Stand — French Style, 19th Century Attribution
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The nineteenth-century desk was a stage for small sculpture, and no object gave the sculptor more licence than the inkwell. Ink needed a lidded vessel; the century's makers decided the lid might as well be a character — and desks across Europe acquired owls, monkeys, jesters, and gnomes whose heads tipped back each time a pen was dipped. The joke had a purpose: an inkwell handled twenty times a day earns its keep better as a companion than as a jar.
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- 30-day returnsNo reason needed
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Will I pay import duties or tariffs?
No. I pay the US import duties and tariffs, so there is nothing to pay on delivery.
What if it arrives damaged?
Every piece is packed individually and fully insured. Send me a photo of the piece and the box, and I handle the claim with the carrier and agree the solution with you.
What if it doesn't suit my room?
You have 30 days to return it, no reason needed. For a change of mind, you pay the return shipping. How returns work
Figural Inkwell, Gnome Inkwell on Engraved Dish, Patinated Metal Desk Stand — French Style, 19th Century Attribution
- Origin
- France
- Period
- 19th-century
DETAILS:
Dish diameter: 20 cm (7.9 in) · Height: 13.5 cm (5.3 in) — the footprint of a dessert plate
Patinated metal; hinged head lid; engraved dish; ink reservoir present
Condition: good condition for age; deep unpolished patina, working hinge, sound throughout
The nineteenth-century desk was a stage for small sculpture, and no object gave the sculptor more licence than the inkwell. Ink needed a lidded vessel; the century's makers decided the lid might as well be a character — and desks across Europe acquired owls, monkeys, jesters, and gnomes whose heads tipped back each time a pen was dipped. The joke had a purpose: an inkwell handled twenty times a day earns its keep better as a companion than as a jar.
This inkwell is attributed to the nineteenth century, in patinated metal: a bearded gnome in a soft cap, wide-eared and solemn, his robe falling in cast folds to form the well itself, standing at the centre of a broad circular dish engraved edge to edge with scrolling arabesque ornament — the dish serving as the pen tray and catch for drips. The head is the lid: it tips back on its hinge to open the ink reservoir within, which the piece retains. Look at the face under a raking light — the brow, the drooping moustache, the individual strands of the beard are all worked with the modeller's full attention, character-making of a kind that mass production never spent on a desk object. The patina is deep and unpolished, pooling dark in the engraving.
The metal is sound, the hinge works, and the surface carries its unrestored age evenly, as the photographs show. Whoever dipped their pen under this gnome's gaze before you kept him at work. He belongs on a desk, a library shelf, or in a cabinet of small curiosities.
The inkwell is solid metal with its original reservoir, twenty centimetres across the dish. It arrives professionally packed and fully insured — worldwide shipping and US import duties are included. For other destinations, local import taxes and duties may apply and are payable by the recipient. Returns are accepted within 30 days.
Condition & electrical details
Condition
Read our condition standard. Please ask if you need additional photographs or measurements.
A decorative style is not a guarantee of a particular maker or date. See the individual listing for the stated attribution and period.
Shipping, insurance & tariffs
Worldwide delivery is included in the price. Every piece is individually packed, tracked and fully insured. No shipping charge is added at checkout. If your destination is not listed, please contact us before ordering.
Maison Jaspers pays US tariffs and import duties. For other destinations, local import taxes and duties may apply and are payable by the recipient. Contact us before ordering if you need destination-specific guidance.
Dispatch timing is shown above. Transit time depends on your destination.
Returns
Notify us within 30 days of delivery if you wish to return a piece. No reason is required. You pay return shipping for a change-of-mind return.
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