Exquisite & rare massive antique French hallmarked sterling silver & likely Baccarat wheel cut crystal 5 3/4" square desk top single inkwell with starburst wheel deeply cut into the base, grooved top pen or quill holders and ornate scrolled pattern lid! Truly remarkable and, as all of us dealers and collectors know, these French sterling silver inkwells are quite rare. This one huge and heavy, the flared base at 5.75" square and the piece weighs an impressive 2 lbs, 10 oz.! The sterling collar bears the French Minerve or Minerva hallmark, the tiny number "1" in the upper right corner (faintly visible here) designates it as being in .950 silver (95% pure and higher than the .925 standard for "sterling" silver). I've looked quite closely and have not yet been able to locate a tiny silversmith mark. Possibly well hidden, possibly unmarked by the maker as was sometimes the case with commissioned pieces. Glorious, rare and as near pristine as one could hope for.
Very good to excellent condition. There is a tiny nip or two to the base edges or corners but no larger chips, cracks or damage. As you can see, the bulbous sterling cap has no dents or damage, it's actually quite thick & heavy silver so no surprise there. This one even has the original inner glass ink pot. See pictures for all measurements.
