Bust of a Woman with Flowing Hair

Description

This Art Nouveau gilt inkstand features a high-relief, sculpted bust of a young woman alongside a glass inkwell and an integrated front pen rack.

• Sculptural Figure: The main body features a half-bust of a woman modeled in the Art Nouveau style. She wears a floral headband or circlet across her forehead and has long, heavy tresses of hair flowing down her back and cascading into broad, swirling waves at the base. Her right-hand rests across her chest.
• Pen Rack: Directly in front of the figure is a curved double-arm pen rack decorated with scrolling acanthus or leaf motifs, designed to cradle a dip pen horizontally.
• Inkwell & Base Receiver: Positioned to the left of the maiden is a square base receiver trimmed with an embossed, scrolled-leaf border. It houses a clear pressed glass inkwell.
• Materials & Construction: The figural base is cast metal – spelter (white metal) finished with a bright gold gilt surface layer.

Origin

• Origin: European (most likely French, German, or Austro-Hungarian / Viennese). During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, foundries across France and Central Europe produced high volumes of gilt-bronze and gilded spelter (régule) desk accessories featuring romanticized feminine busts, allegorical maidens, and naturalistic flora.

Period & Dating

• Estimated Date: Circa 1895–1910.
• Style Period: Classic Art Nouveau. The piece reflects the design trends of the turn of the century, characterized by sensuous, organic flowing lines, languid feminine figures, and decorative metalwork blended with glass functional elements.