This charming trio of antique inkwells will immerse you in the hushed atmosphere of classrooms of yesteryear... Each piece tells a story of violet ink, steel nibs, and neatly lined notebooks.
These inkwells were slipped into circular holes cut into the wooden tops of desks. They were filled with violet ink, and students would dip their metal pens into them... Memories of ink-stained schoolchildren!
🖋️ The trio consists of:
– A white porcelain inkwell adorned with delicate flowers, a rare model often reserved for studious young girls or for domestic use. Material: white porcelain, hand-painted and signed floral decoration (roses and pansies). Dimensions: 6.5 cm top diameter, 4.5 cm bottom diameter, 4 cm height, weight 69g. Estimated period: 1930s–1950s. Usage: placed in the desk hole, violet ink was poured into it for steel nibs. Note: this type of floral inkwell is rarer than plain white ones, sometimes also used at home, especially by young girls. Here, it is also a hand-painted and signed piece.
– A white glazed ceramic inkwell, robust and utilitarian, typical of school desks from the Belle Époque to the interwar period. Material: stoneware or thick white enameled earthenware. Dimensions: top diameter 5 cm, bottom diameter 2.7 cm, height 4.5 cm, weight 54 g. Marking underneath: probable model or size number. Estimated period: 1900–1930. More common in French and Belgian schools. This is the most utilitarian, simple, and robust type.
– A molded glass inkwell, faceted like a small desk jewel, used from the 1920s in classrooms or administrations. Material: thick molded glass, with a faceted base. Dimensions: top diameter 4.6 cm, bottom diameter 2.6 cm, height 4 cm, weight 38 g. Visible marking ("Modèle déposé EU Paris") = mold number, semi-industrial production. Estimated period: 1920–1940. Widely used in school desks or administration offices. More fragile and often disappeared from desks, but easy to mass-produce.
📅 Period: circa 1900–1950
📐 Dimensions: between 4 and 4.5 cm high
🎨 Materials: hand-painted porcelain, glazed earthenware, molded glass
🪞Condition: patina of time, small traces of use, but very decorative and touching in their simplicity.
Ideal for a vintage display, a school curiosity cabinet, or as a poetic gift for lovers of childhood past.
Free delivery in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
Careful shipping.