Inkstand with Bicycle Attachment

Description

This inkstand features a blend of stamped brass metalwork and opaque white milk glass:

• Milk Glass Reservoir: At the center sits a square, cubic milk glass inkwell insert.
• Ornate Metal Mountings: The glass cube is secured at its base by a stamped brass collar embossed with a radiating fan and leaf pattern. Resting over the top shoulders of the glass is an intricate, scalloped filigree brass collar featuring scrolling scrollwork and relief accents.
• Hinged Lid: A domed, hinged brass cap covers the top, decorated with scrolling relief and crowned with a light blue cabochon (simulated turquoise glass or enamel).
• Novelty Bicycle Attachment: Behind the reservoir stands a detailed, two-dimensional stamped brass bicycle with spoked wheels, handlebars, a saddle, pedals, and a drive chain.
• Decorative Oval Tray: The base consists of a broad, oval stamped brass tray featuring winged cherub (putti) motifs in relief flanking the inkwell, surrounded by a heavy beaded outer rim.

Origin, Manufacturer, and Date

• Period: Circa 1890s to early 1900s. The inclusion of the bicycle places its design within the height of the American bicycle craze of the 1890s, when bicycling themes were widely adapted into decorative household and desktop novelties.
• Country of Origin: United States.
• Manufacturer: Looking at similar inkwells, the specific maker of these stamped brass novelty assemblies remains undetermined. During this era, secondary American metal-stamping and novelty firms sourced standardize milk glass inserts—frequently produced by glassmakers such as the Mt. Washington Glass Company—and fitted them with thin, stamped brass trays, filigree shoulder collars, and themed attachments.

Note: While many similar pieces remain unmarked, inspecting the underside of the hinged lid, or the interior rim of the brass base collar may reveal small, stamped patent dates or numbers.

Review these similar Inkipedia entries:

Milk Glass Inkwell on Gilded Brass Base – The Society of Inkwell Collectors (SOIC)

Hand-painted Milk Glass with Brass Fixtures – The Society of Inkwell Collectors (SOIC)

Milk Glass Inkwell on Stamped Brass Holder – The Society of Inkwell Collectors (SOIC)