Absolutely superb & rare antique Victorian or Napoleon I to Napoleon III era Dutch hallmarked sterling silver, cut crystal & shaped black marble 12.5" inkwell or inkstand with sander and center nib brush urn with falcon figural topped lid and wonderful visual appeal! Don't you simply LOVE this piece! Large size, the elegant jet black marble base is a full 12.5" wide! With all of the appearances of a double inkwell stand, it's actually a single inkwell with the other left side a removable sander as was more often found in the pieces dating to the 18th to early 19th century pieces. The center urn shaped vessel with falcon topped lid would more than likely have held an old boar bristle brush used to wipe date ink from the pen nib. With all of the exceptional aspects of this piece, what I love the most are those stunning cut crystal wells!! Just look at the extent of the wheel cut shaping of each, imagine the time and care take with the creation of each...like jewelry almost :). Gorgeous! The tiny sword shaped hallmark is Dutch and dates between 1814-1905, yes quite an expanse but the inclusion of the sander would lead me to believe it falls toward the former of those dates. Simply a marvelous piece no matter, don't miss it!
Excellent condition. One notable flaw is a chip to one of the flared upper 'tips' on on the sander. Possibly a small nip or two elsewhere but nothing notable. One small nip to the upper edge of the black marble base, located on the rear left side. Finally, two of the small bolts on the bottom that hold the center urn and right side inkwell in place appear to be replacements (square as opposed to the round silver original on the left). See pictures for all measurements.
