SPOTLIGHT ON - Inkwells, then & now

Nowhere is the passage of time more evident than in the history of inkwells. Ask a child about inkwells or inkstands and s/he will look at you with big bright questioning eyes. These days youngsters are more conversant with the words like E-mail or SMS and the words inkwell or inkpot will hardly send any signal to their memory.

To trace the history of the early inkwells we have to go back to ancient Egypt when the art of the scribe was born. Scribes were appointed by aristocratic families and also by the town administration. They used small ink palettes produced in pieces of stone with round hollows for each color of ink. These artifacts became actually the first inkwells or ink stands as we know them nowadays.

With the passage of time writing progressed and the shape and materials used to make them became varied & more diverse and at one stage, they would be even made of glass or animal horns.

With time, inkwells began to illustrate the class distinctions. Prior to the 16th century, it was considered undignified for an aristocrat to do his own writing and a scrivener would fulfill the duties of correspondence. Therefore, inkstands were primarily utilitarian and without ornamentation. However, by the end of the 16th century, the well-to-do began handling their own correspondence and the more elaborate inkstand would become a "necessary" item. These were often made in the shape of a box and contained items beyond the inkpot, including a wafer box for paste wafers (used to seal letters) and a sander or pounce pot. The sander held powdered gum sandarac, a fine sand which was sprinkled on the unglazed paper to prevent smearing. The sand would be poured back into the pounce pot once the ink was dry, ready for reuse. Many boxes were also fitted with a drawer for the storage of quills and sealing wax.

In the 17th century, traveling with one's own writing materials became a necessity for the intellectuals and the travelers' well was introduced. Of course, the humble traveler would simply carry a tiny inkwell, which could safely be tucked away in a pocket or valise without spilling.

Cruet-type stands also started to became popular in the 17th century home. These included three cylindrical containers, one for ink, one with a perforated top for use as a sand-caster and the third for wafers. Up to this time, an inkstand was commonly known as a stand dish, a term which would be eliminated in18th century.

The 18th century would bring about other changes. Silver, bronze or gold inkstands would be prominently displayed at the homes of the wealthy and often featured Rococo designs, footed stands and trays with grooved channels for penknives or quills. Many included a matching bell, used to summon a servant when a letter was ready for posting. The boxes containing all this writing paraphernalia became known as compendiums and would feature ornate designs, covered in tortoiseshell veneers, ivory, porcelain plates or embroidered fabrics.

From 1750-1880, the "golden span" of china would begin in England, making it the greatest china producing country in the world, followed closely by Germany. Painted porcelain inkwells of feminine appeal filled with scented and highly colored ink decorated the drawing rooms. Unfortunately the fragility of these inkwells has made them rare; most surviving examples exist only in museums or private collections.

By the mid 19th century, inkstands became both ornate and whimsical, with each country specializing in their own unique style. In the Palais Royal shops of 1850's to 1880's Paris, figural designs made of ormolu (gilded bronze), porcelain and shell would abound. In England, glass-insert inkwells would be encased in maple, oak, rosewood, mahogany, burled wood and papier-mâché. In America, cut glass inkwells were the rage.

The demise of the inkwell began in the 1880s, with the invention of the first practical fountain pen by Lewis Waterman. Not only did Waterman's writing instrument carry its own supply of ink, the flow of the ink was also emitted in a regular, controllable stream. After centuries of use, the inkwell virtually disappeared from daily life.

Hence, as the fountain pen was making its way into everyday life, the inkwell became the lesser part of a larger desk set and was turned to a heirloom object kept as part of a bespoke collectable ensemble or used simply for decorative purposes.

#brass #porcelain