Tea Kettle Ink Bottle Embossed with Flowers

This is a beautiful example of an antique tea kettle (or teapot-shaped) ink bottle, a popular novelty form for writing accessories during the late 19th century.

Description

• Material: The bottle is crafted from opalescent milk glass, also known as “clambroth” glass due to its semi-translucent, milky appearance that catches the light with a subtle pearlescent glow.
• Body & Form: It features the classic “tea kettle” silhouette, with a squat, slightly tapered cylindrical body and a protruding neck/spout set at an angle.
• Embellishments:  Floral Decoration: The body is hand-painted with delicate polychrome enamel flowers in shades of violet-purple and cornflower blue, accented with green leaves and golden tendrils.
  • Embossing: The flat top of the “kettle” is heavily embossed with a starburst or daisy-like floral motif, highlighted with gold gilt on the petals.
• Hardware: The bottle retains its original brass neck ring and hinged flip-top cap. This prevented the ink from drying out or spilling during use.

Origin and Age

This appears to be a rare variation of the American Teakettle Inkwell, most commonly attributed to the Boston & Sandwich Glass Works of Sandwich, Massachusetts.

Catalog & Auction Records

This inkwell, featuring the embossed daisy/starburst top on an opalescent glass body, is a documented “deluxe” form. While most teakettle inks of this period have vertical ribs or plain tops, this pattern is recorded in several specialized resources:

• American Glass Gallery (Auction #30, Lot 1.3): Describes a nearly identical “Fiery opalescent milk glass” teakettle ink with a “top with embossed round flower” and hand-painted floral motifs.
• Joe Matthews, Teakettle Inks (JM #202 & #266): This is the definitive guide used by collectors. This specific form with the flower-head embossing on the top plate is classified under this numbering system.
• Barlow and Kaiser, The Glass Industry in Sandwich: Catalog records from the 1870s show these “Fancy Teakettle” forms (often referenced as B/K #5160) being produced in “clambroth” and opalescent colors.

Detailed Identification

• The “Daisy” Top: In Sandwich glass terminology, this embossed starburst is often called a “Rayed” or “Flower” top. The fact that this one has gold gilt on the petals indicates it was a higher-tier product than the standard unpainted versions.
• Decoration: The hand-painted polychrome flowers (purple and blue pansies/violets) were applied at the factory. These “fancy” versions were sold as luxury desk ornaments rather than purely functional schoolroom items.
• Material: The “Fiery Opalescent” glass is a signature of Boston & Sandwich. If you hold the bottle up to a bright light, the edges of the white glass glow with a warm orange or reddish “fire”—a hallmark of 19th-century American opalescent glass.

Origin & Age

• Manufacturer: Boston & Sandwich Glass Works (Sandwich, MA) is the most likely maker. There is a secondary possibility of the New England Glass Company (East Cambridge/South Boston), which produced very similar “clambroth” novelties.
• Production Date: 1860–1880. Teakettle inks reached their peak popularity in the United States during and just after the Civil War.
• Rarity: This is considered a highly desirable inkwell for collectors. The combination of the embossed floral top and the intact original brass hardware and hand-painted decorations make it significantly more valuable than the common ribbed glass versions.