Inkipedia

Marshall Field’s Celtic Knot Inkwell

Categories Arts & Crafts
Material Bronze
Markings See Narrative
Manufacturer Marshall Field
Origin United States
Date or Era circa 1915
Measuring 5” diameter; 4 ½” high

Hand wrought in Marshall Field’s (Chicago IL) in-house craft shop and foundry (established in 1904), this bulbous form inkwell features an acid etched Celtic knot design with birds’ heads. The hinged lid of the inkwell is marked “Made in Our Craft Shop, Marshall Field & Co.”

And beneath the lid, instead of the usual glass insert, is a sophisticated inkwell designed and patented by Gustav Sengbusch. The Marshall Field bronze is a decorative case housing a rather common yet effective glass and hard rubber ‘inkstand’.

Sengbusch invented and patented his famous “Self-Casing Inkstand” in 1903 and set up a company, the Sengbusch Self-Closing Inkstand Co., in Milwaukee, WI. Sengbusch’s improvement to ordinary inkwells was to add a floating stopper that kept the ink clean (no dust or dirt) as well as preventing accidental spilling. This inkstand has a 1914 patent date, and it appears to be a less common No.62 model.

Sold for $220 in April 2024

 

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