Fabulous large 6" x 4.5" cut glass or crystal & hallmarked .830 (nearly sterling) silver single desktop inkwell with unique ship captain's style flared base with pen tray, likely by J. Tostrup of Oslo, Norway from 1832-? One of a few oversized and truly wonderful old cut glass and/or crystal & sterling silver inkwells that we've offered in the past few weeks and sure to please! This one unique, reminiscent of the ship captain's inkwells with their flared and heavy bases that kept them from tipping over with the rocking of the boat. All one piece, heavy glass or more likely crystal with its clarity and wheel cut into the shape you see here. The front slightly convex area acts as a pen tray when not in use. The sterling lid bears what appears to be hallmarks from Norway, the "830S" also used by Denmark though. The "J.T." silversmith mark is what makes me think it's Norwegian, I found an exact match for J. Tostrup of Oslo and dating from 1832 to early 1900s as far as I can tell. A lovely piece, don't miss it!
Good to very good condition. Scratches on the bottom are easily visible but are only on the bottom, very few on the sides and top (they just reflect through the thick crystal or glass). I'm sure our glass repairman could polish them out but I wanted to get it listed quickly ahead of our Europe trip. I guess I'll send it along to him if it doesn't sell quickly but that will mean a raise in price. The silver top may have a very old silver solder to the lid at the hinge area but it's strong and closes completely. One or two small dimples. See pictures for all measurements.
