Buyer Be Aware – Jester Pug Dog Inkwell

Pictures from three different online auctions are shown here.

One must admit that this little fellow exudes “cuteness”. Who can resist the face of a pug? Dressed up as a jester no less! Sellers commonly list this cold-painted inkwell as a late 19^th or early 20th century piece. It’s much newer. One seller was “honest” enough to list it as “vintage from the 1970’s”, though I suspect it’s even newer than that. Another seller listed it as “Late 20th Century”. Now that’s more like it!

One cannot label this jester pug as a reproduction. There are no antique jester pugs. They are all modern production. Yes, the paint is “distressed” on all of them. Notice how all three are similarly “distressed”. With real antiques, you would find differences in wear, paint color variance, or maybe even a missing jingle bell. But notice the base mounts – in perfect condition on each of them. Notice the paint still on the hinge. That would be unlikely if the piece were old.

Some of these pugs are prominently marked “GESCHÜTZT”, the German word for “protected”. Others lack this mark. On old cold-painted bronzes, one finds the word “Geschutzt” (no umlaut on the “u”) hidden on the underside.

These Jester Pug Dog inkwells sell in the hundreds. If you can’t resist, that’s OK. Just know the inkwell is of modern production.