1870s Queen Anne Style Victorian English Silver Plated Inkwell

Details

Description

Refined and graceful silver plated inkwell; it has a balanced and harmonious shape; on the top are housed two solid … Read more Refined and graceful silver plated inkwell; it has a balanced and harmonious shape; on the top are housed two solid and faceted crystal bottles with hinged lids; it was made in a silverware workshop in England during the Victorian period between 1870 and 1875; The craftsman has adorned it with a striking and refined border interspersed with shell motifs and feet “claw and ball”, all in perfect Queen Anne style, this style characterized the furniture and decorative arts in the first two decades of the eighteenth century, was so-called because it coincided, in part, with the period of the reign of Anne Stuart (1702-1714); it was a style marked by the extreme simplicity of forms from the graceful wavy line and characterized in ornamentation by the widespread use of the shell motif, another decorative element characteristic of that period was the foot "claw and ball"; The representation of The Claw holding a sphere has oriental origins, probably Chinese and represents The Claw of a dragon holding a pearl. This is considered the "pearl of wisdom", even though in reality a similar or even equal symbol is already found in the mythology of many other Asian countries. According to Eastern culture, the dragon is a symbol of nature, power, luck, and health. Both Buddhism and Taoism used the representation of the pearl as a symbol of wisdom and enlightenment. The inkwell is perfect in all its parts, has only one repair of the time in the lower part (see photo), often these inkwells were equipped with a curved element fixed to the center of the border where you put a finger to move them, evidently, in our inkwell this support must be broken and the owner did not replace it but has limited himself to make only a repair below the tray.

Measures length cm 21, depth cm 10, height cm 5 See less