Glazed Pottery Inkwell

This German pottery inkwell is square in shape and features a central, raised inkwell with a hinged lid. The four sides of the inkwell have recesses designed to accommodate pens. The inkwell is decorated with golden-brown majolica style glaze.

The underside of the inkwell is marked “Gesetzlich geschützt”: This German phrase translates to “legally protected.” It is impressed with the number 2635 and bears an intertwined “AB” mark.

Attribution is problematic. This inkwell may have been made by Mühlen & Leendertz. Mühlen & Leendertz was established in the mid-19th century in Issum, Germany, during a period when German pottery was gaining international recognition for its craftsmanship and design. The company specialized in a variety of ceramic items, including inkwells, vases, and decorative pieces. They were known for their use of majolica glazes.

Another possible maker is Amberg Pottery, a faience factory founded in Bavaria in 1759 by Simon Hetzendorfer. Cream colored earthenware and hard paste porcelain were produced there from 1790. In 1850 they acquired molds from the Ludwigsburg porcelain works, from which they made copies. In 1910 they closed.