Pageboy and Greyhound Earthenware Inkstand

Description

• The Scene: The removable figural top features a classic pageboy or youthful huntsman in historical European attire (slashed breeches, a buttoned doublet with a ruffled collar, and a cap with a plume or folded brim) standing alongside a leaned-over greyhound/whippet on a naturalistic rocky or grassy ground with a molded tree stump behind them.
• Condition: The dog’s right ear shows a clean break with unglazed body exposed beneath the glaze line.
• The Base & Components:
  • The base functions as a double inkstand containing a central pen tray with two inserts.
  • The two removable cylindrical ceramic inserts have broad, rope-twist decorated rims matching the base’s contours.
  • The lower frieze of the base features an elegant, repeating Gothic-style trefoil or quatrefoil relief pattern.
  • The entire item is finished in a uniform monochrome honey-yellow/ochre glaze with subtle hand-painted gold/gilt accents detailing the rims, collar, doublet trim, and relief molding.

“Eichwald Pottery”

The attribution to Eichwald Pottery is plausible and aligns with the stylistic features of Bohemian/Austrian ceramic manufacturing from the late 19th to early 20th century.

• What is Eichwald? Eichwald was a famous pottery manufacture founded by Bernhard Bloch in the town of Eichwald, Bohemia (then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, later Dubí in Czechia/Czechoslovakia). Operating heavily under the name Bernhard Bloch & Co., the factory was world-renowned for its high-quality Majolica, terracotta, sidepieces, and figural tobacco/desk accessories.
• How it relates: Eichwald and their close competitor, Johann Maresch, specialized heavily in high-relief, anthropomorphic, and romantic figural items featuring children and animals (e.g., boys with horses, donkeys, or hunting dogs). They frequently combined a functional base (like a pipe rack, humidor, or double inkstand) with an elaborate, removable sculptural lid or centerpiece.

• This specific inkstand was made by Bernhard Bloch (Bloch / B. Bloch & Co.). The direct connection lies in the fact that “Eichwald Pottery” is the common name for the factory founded and operated by Bernhard Bloch in the Bohemian town of Eichwald. While Johann Maresch was a major competitor in the region who made similarly styled figural earthenware and terracotta items, his factory was located in the nearby town of Aussig an der Elbe, not Eichwald.
• This exact model—historically documented in listings as the “Eichwald Pottery Pageboy w/ Greyhound Inkwell”—is a signature Bloch design, showcasing the factory’s penchant for combining monochromatic, honey-toned glazes with romanticized, historical figural scenes.

• Glaze Note: While often colloquialized as “yellow ware” because of its distinctive ochre color palette, this type of refined, translucent-colored lead glaze over a molded earthenware body is technically classified under the broader umbrella of Bohemian Majolica / Colored Glaze Earthenware.
• Origin & Age – where it was made: Eichwald, Bohemia (Austria/Czechoslovakia).

• How old is it? This inkstand dates to circa 1890–1910. During this period, historicist themes (like Renaissance pageboys and regal hunting hounds) were popular desk ornaments for upscale European and American libraries.

The Mold / Model Number

• The Mark: In the center of the glazed recess, there is a clear, incised “41”.
• Significance: This is an intentional mold, shape, or pattern number incised into the clay before firing. For factories like Bernhard Bloch (Eichwald), these lower two-digit or four-digit numbers were inventory codes used by the potters to match specific components (like this base) with their corresponding lids or accessory inserts during assembly and glazing.

Additional Faint Maker Marks

• Directly above the incised number, under the heavy reflection of the glaze, there appears to be a very faint, shallow oval or circular impression stamped into the clay.
• In Bohemian majolica of this era, this is often where the small, impressed “BB” (Bernhard Bloch) anchor mark or a stylized “EICHWALD” location stamp was applied. Because the colored lead glaze runs and pools in the kiln, these shallow stamps were frequently filled in and partially obscured, leaving only a subtle ghost impression like the one seen here.

Structural Characteristics

• Glazed Interior: Unlike many American yellow ware pieces which leave the interior bottoms unglazed, the entire inner cavity of this base is fully coated in the same honey-yellow glaze, indicating a high-quality European manufacturing process designed to prevent the porous earthenware body from absorbing moisture or ink leaks over time.
• Unglazed Foot Rim: The flat, oval rim that contacts the table surface is left unglazed (showing the buff-colored clay body beneath). This was necessary so the piece wouldn’t fuse to the kiln shelf during firing.