Antique Victorian Sterling Silver Inkstand (1846)

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 is ornamented with a paralleling cast and applied decorated border, accented with leaf designs, in addition to a protruding handpiece to the posterior. This antique hallmarked silver inkstand is supported by four impressive cast bracket style feet embellished with scrolling leaf decoration. The stand has two recess cylindrical receivers to accommodate the inkpots, in addition to a central hallmarked receptacle. The plain cylindrical central receptacle is surmounted with the original hallmarked sterling silver table bell; once removed this component could be utilised as a candle holder. The bell has been modelled in the form of a pear, surmounted with a cast stem and leaf decorated terminal. This exceptional table bell retains the original hallmarked clapper. The two original pumpkin-shaped ink pots retain the original hallmarked hinged covers, modelled with the further stem ornamentation. Each gourd style ink pot opens to allow access to the cylindrical blue glass liners. The incurved surface of each inkpot and the bell are embellished with an identical crest as that to the base. Such inkstands with this combination of components are rare. Dimensions Stand Length 28.9cm/11.4" Width 27.8cm/10.9" Height 5.9cm/2.3" Height including components16.2cm/6.4" Inkpot Diameter 5.3cm/2.1" Height 9.2cm/3.6" Table Bell Diameter 6.8cm/2.7" Height 12cm/4.7" Weight 36.7 troy ounces/1141g (excluding glass liners)