Mauchline Ware Inkwell

This souvenir inkwell features a transfer of Holyrood Palace in Scotland.

Holyrood Palace, officially known as the Palace of Holyroodhouse, began as an Augustinian abbey founded by King David I in 1128. Over the centuries, it has been a key administrative center and has seen numerous significant events, including the crowning, marriage, and burial of medieval Scottish monarchs. It serves as the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the end of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, it’s the setting for state occasions and official entertaining.

The production of Scottish white-wood products, or Mauchline ware, was carried out from the 1820s until 1939 by the firm of W & A Smith among other less long-lived manufacturers. Often, they used a basic transfer as on this inkstand, each piece having the view of the place of purchase. The transfer subjects ranged across Scotland and more of the British Isles to the rest of the world. A fire in 1933 stopped production, which was never restarted, and W & A Smith finally closed in 1939.