Gilt Bronze Bear Inkwell on Malachite Base

Description

• Figurative Form: The inkwell is cast in gilt bronze (ormolu) in the full-round likeness of a textured brown bear. The bear is depicted standing/leaning forward while holding a stylized wooden staff or walking stick in its left front paw.
• Hinged Mechanism: The bear’s head forms the upper lid of the inkwell, attached by a discreet hinge along the back of the neck/collar. Opening the hinged head reveals the internal hollowed compartment which would hold the insert (missing here).
• Plinth/Base: The bronze sculpture is mounted atop a thick, square, mosaic-veneered malachite base featuring characteristic concentric green banding and veining.

Attribution & Origins

• Who made this?
  • These high-end gilt-bronze and malachite decorative desk pieces were produced by Russian imperial bronze foundries and bronze masters (often associated with firms like Woerffel or Chopin, or un-attributed Petersburg workshops specializing in bronze and lapidary arts).
• Where was it made?
  • Imperial Russia (most likely Saint Petersburg). Russia was famous for combining fine cast ormolu bronzes with native Siberian and Uralian malachite lapidary work.
• When was it made?
  • Late 19th Century (circa 1880s–1890s), during the Tsarist era when bear-themed bronze novelties and luxury malachite desk accessories were popular among Russian nobility and international collectors.