Sculptural Bronze Inkstand: Molière

Detailed Description

• Overall Theme and Style: This is a commemorative double inkstand celebrating the French dramatist Molière (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin). The style is formal, typical of 19th-century Parisian bronzes d’ameublement (furnishing bronzes) that honored great historical figures.
• Central Figure (Molière):
  • The primary feature is a fine cast bronze fiigure of Molière. He is recognizable from historical portraits, typically depicted with a formal, contemplative expression and wearing the collar/cravat style of the late 17th century.
• The Stand:
  • Base: The working platform is an oblong piece of black polished slate (likely Belgian or French slate, often called black marble).
  • Mount: The slate base is mounted on a larger mahogany base or plinth, raising the whole ensemble.
  • Pen Channel: A recessed pen channel or trough runs along the front edge of the slate base, providing space to rest writing instruments.
• Inkwells:
  • Form: The stand is a double inkstand, featuring two wells, one on either side of the central Molière figure.
  • Lids: The inkwells are covered by bronze lift-off lids. These lids are decorated with motifs appropriate to Molière’s profession: writer’s quill pens, an open book, and theatrical masks (representing Comedy and Tragedy, the essence of drama).

Age Assessment

This piece is firmly rooted in the 19th-century tradition of historical revivalism and the celebration of national culture, a trend highly dominant in France.

• Cultural Context: Molière is a pivotal figure in French literature. Inkstands featuring busts of great writers, philosophers, and military leaders became hugely popular during the 19th Century as desk accessories for the educated class.
• Material and Construction: The combination of a high-quality bronze casting, a polished black slate platform, and a wooden base is a signature presentation style for luxury desk sets produced in France during this era.
• Estimated Age: circa 1850 – 1880 (French Second Empire / Early Third Republic)