Jennings Brothers Model No. 140 Horse Stable Inkstand

Description

This figural inkstand (Model No. 140) was cast in spelter metal and finished with a rich, warm bronze patina. This inkstand was also made with a brass finish.

• The Design: The piece is modeled to resemble a horse stable facade. Two detailed horse heads emerge from stalls behind a stable window frame, the horses with bridles and textured manes. The front features an extended trough-like pen-rest tray running the full length of the base.
• The Inkwell Compartment: On the right side, a hinged rectangular metal lid lifts to reveal a removable glass insert.
• Markings: The back of the raised central arch displays the distinctive foundry hallmark stamp of the Jennings Brothers:

TRADE MARK

J.B.

SIGNIFIES

THE BEST

140

The Signature: O. Kainz

As visible on the lower right-hand side of the base, the piece bears the incised artist signature: O. Kainz.

• Whose signature is this?

The signature belongs to Otto Kainz (often signed as O. Kainz), a well-known European sculptor and bronze artist active in Vienna, Austria during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

• Background and Information on the Artist:

Otto Kainz was celebrated for his finely detailed animal sculptures, desk accessories, inkwells, and figural lamps (frequently collaborating with other Viennese artists and metalworkers like Siegfried Bauer). European bronze and metal artists of this era often licensed or supplied their detailed sculptural models to American metal-casting companies, or American manufacturers like Jennings Brothers would import popular European artistic designs to produce high-end decorative art pieces for the domestic market.

Manufacturer & Dating

The specific circular hallmark stamp reading “TRADE MARK / J.B. / SIGNIFIES / THE BEST” is a hallmark closely associated with the company’s early-to-mid production period.

While the Jennings Brothers Manufacturing Company operated in Bridgeport, Connecticut, from 1890 until 1950, this particular trademark style—featuring the fully spelled-out slogan “Signifies The Best” enclosed in a decorative crest or cartouche alongside a model number—was predominantly utilized during the Art Nouveau and Arts & Crafts eras, spanning roughly from 1900 to 1920.

As the company progressed into the 1920s and Art Deco periods, their marking conventions frequently shifted toward simpler, cleaner stampings (such as just “J.B.” inside a shield or circle, or block-lettered numbers without the descriptive text banner). Therefore, the combination of Otto Kainz’s sculptural styling, the transitional structural design, and this specific full-text hallmark places the manufacture of Model No. 140 firmly in the 1910s (circa 1910–1918).