French Sterling Silver and Cut Crystal Inkwell

Description

• The Crystal Body: The inkwell features a squat, globular, heavy crystal body. It is elaborately decorated with deep, vertical wedge cuts on the lower half and an intricate, frosted (wheel-engraved) olive branch and leaf vine motif wrapping around the shoulder. The bottom features a classic, sharp starburst pattern. It includes a removable clear glass insert.
• The Silver Lid: The heavy, hinged silver collar and dome lid are decorated in high relief with Louis XVI style elements. The top dome is sectioned into panels featuring tied ribbons, hanging laurel leaf swags, and vertical bellflower/guilloche drops. The undulating, scalloped rim of the collar mirrors these classical themes.

The Hallmarks & Identification

The small stamp on the lower rim of the silver collar provides the definitive clues for its French origin:

1. The Silver Purity: The Minerva Mark

Though tiny and partly struck on a curved edge, the shape of the hallmark on the collar indicates a French Minerva mark (the head of the goddess Minerva inside a clipped rectangle or octagon).

• For French export or domestic silver of this era, this represents either .950 fine silver (1st title) or .800 fine silver (2nd title). Given the high quality of the engraving and relief work, it is likely 1st title (.950 sterling).

2. The Maker: Victor Boivin

The maker’s mark is a classic French lozenge (diamond-shaped) stamp. Based on the style of the relief work, the period, and the visible layout, this piece can be attributed to the prominent Parisian silversmith firm Victor Boivin (or the successor Boivin Frères).

• The Boivin family foundry was celebrated for its exceptional tableware, desk accessories, and object d’art executed in historical revival styles. Their lozenge mark typically features a specific symbol (often a crescent or a star) alongside the initials V.B.

Date of Manufacture

• Circa 1890–1910: This inkwell was manufactured during the Belle Époque period.
• While the “Louis XVI Revival” style (ribbons, wreaths, and classical symmetry) was popular throughout the late 19th century, the specific combination of wheel-engraved frosted floral work on heavy geometric crystal with this style of high-relief silver collar peaks perfectly between 1895 and 1905.

It is a well-preserved luxury desk piece that showcases the mastery of turn-of-the-century Parisian silversmiths.