Botanical Cold-Painted Bronze Inkstand

Botanical Cold-Painted Bronze Inkstand

• The Base & Branch: Formed as a lifelike, intertwined branch or twig structure with dark bronze patina, featuring naturalistic knots and bark details.
• The Foliage & Fruit: The branch supports vibrant green leaves with serrated edges and distinct veining, alongside clusters of deep purple-red, plump fruit.
• The Reservoir: Nestled in the center is a thick, swirl-molded (swirled rib / lobed pattern) heavy clear glass ink reservoir.
• The Lid & Collar: The glass well is fitted with a hinged silvered-metal collar and a matching swirled, lobed glass lid.

What Kind of Berries/Fruit Are Depicted?

The fruit depicted are cherries on cherry tree branches:

• The serrated, ovate leaf shapes with detailed veining match Prunus avium (sweet cherry) leaves.
• The fruit hang individually and in small clusters from curved, slender stems, rendered in a deep, glossy dark red/plum enamel to mimic ripe cherries.

Where Was This Inkstand Made?

This inkstand was made in Vienna, Austria.

It is a quintessential creation of the famous Viennese cold-painted bronze industry. Viennese artisans were celebrated for taking cast bronze botanical or animal figures and hand-painting them with layers of unfired polychrome enamel (cold-painting) to achieve exceptionally realistic colors.

When Was It Made?

It dates to the late 19th century to early 20th century (circa 1890–1910), during the height of the Austrian Art Nouveau / Wiener Werkstätte era when naturalistic and botanical cold-painted bronzes were at the peak of popular production.