Porcelain Inkstand with Sander

This porcelain inkstand designed in a Rococo Revival style likely dates from the mid-to-late 19th century (circa 1850–1880).

Description

The stand is crafted from white glazed porcelain and features a distinctive scalloped shell-shaped pen tray at the front. The overall form is organic and flowing, with a scrolled handle at the rear for easy carrying.

• Decoration: It is decorated with hand-painted cobalt blue floral sprays and delicate gilt (gold leaf) accents along the molded ridges and edges.
• Components:
  • Inkwell: The well on the right (when viewed from the front) holds the liquid ink and is covered by a simple domed lid with a spherical finial.
  • Sander (Pounce Pot): The well on the left features a lid with multiple small perforations. This was used to sprinkle “pounce” or fine sand over wet ink to dry it quickly before blotting paper became common.
  • Quill Hole: A small, integrated cylindrical holder sits perfectly in the center between the two wells, designed to hold a single quill or dip pen upright.

Identification & Markings

The marking on the underside appears to be an incised or impressed “X”.

• Origin: This impressed mark, combined with the style and paste, is characteristic of Old Paris (Vieux Paris) porcelain or perhaps a Thuringian factory (like Sitzendorf or Wolfsohn) from Germany.
• Old Paris Porcelain: Many independent workshops in Paris produced high-quality pieces like this for the bourgeois market. They often used incised marks or no marks at all, focusing on the popular Rococo aesthetic of the mid-1800s.

Summary

• Type: Rococo Revival Porcelain Inkstand
• Origin: France (Paris) or Germany (Thuringia)
• Date: c. 1850–1880