Cupid Forges a Heart

Cupid uses his special tools to fashion a heart ready to love and be loved. Clad in an apron, he stands behind a tree trunk with ornate, scalloped decorations at its base. The heart rests on top of the tree trunk ready to be shaped. The inkwell is housed in the tree trunk.

Silver-Plated Figural Inkstand: “Cupid Forging a Heart”

An allegorical novelty inkstand depicting Cupid (Amor) cast as a blacksmith. Clad in a smith’s apron, the winged putto wields a raised hammer in one hand and smithing tongs in the other, actively forging a heart amidst foliate leaves atop an anvil-fashioned tree trunk. The tree trunk functions as the inkwell body, featuring a hinged lid that lifts to reveal the fitted clear glass ink insert. The piece flares into an ornate Rococo Revival scalloped base detailed with shell flourishes, C-scrolls, and beaded repoussé accents supported on four splayed feet.

Origin, Maker & Age

• Age / Period: Circa 1880–1905
• Where it Was Made: Most likely France or Germany. Continental foundries produced the vast majority of these romantic, allegorical desk novelties in spelter (white metal) and cast white bronze during the late 19th century.
• Material & Construction: Cast spelter / white metal or cast pot metal finished with electroplated silver (or oxidized silver wash), retaining its original molded glass insert.
• Maker: Typically unmarked. These figural desk novelties were widely produced by commercial Continental bronze and metal foundries (common in Paris and Berlin/Iserlohn). The “Cupid as Blacksmith Forging Hearts” motif was popularized across Europe during the late 19th century by sculptors like Heinrich Schwabe and found widespread commercial adaptation in decorative metalwork.