Heintz Art Metal Inkwell

This bronze inkwell with a silver overlay design by Heintz has a pyramidal base with a square top. The top of the inkwell features an intricate silver overlay design that appears to be geometric in nature, with symmetrical lines and shapes forming a cross-like pattern. It is numbered “1100”.  The marking “Sterling on Bronze” with the H.A.M.S. diamond shape on the bottom indicates that it was produced by the Heintz Art Metal Shop, a company known for its innovative technique of attaching sterling silver overlays to bronze without using solder.

Otto Heintz took over the Art Crafts Shop in Buffalo around 1903 and renamed it the Heintz Art Metal Shop. The shop produced an extensive line of metalware, including inkwells, vases, bowls, desk accessories, picture frames, jewelry, bookends, and a limited number of monumental table lamps. Heintz invented and patented a secret method for attaching decorative sterling silver overlay to each piece without using messy solder. Unlike traditional hand-hammered copper, Heintz turned to the lathe to create his metalware. His craftsmen attached pieces of bronze to the lathe and “spun” each form by pressing thin bronze sheets against spinning forms with wooden mallets.