Porcelain Inkwell with Insect and Flower Decoration

This is a charming porcelain inkwell, likely intended for a lady’s writing desk given its delicate size and whimsical “bug and blossom” theme.

Description

• Form: The set consists of a square-bodied inkwell with a hinged lid and a separate, matching scalloped-edge saucer. The lid and body are connected by a nickel-plated brass collar and hinge.
• Decoration: The piece is crafted from white hard-paste porcelain and features hand-painted naturalistic insects.
  • Insects: You can see a blue-bodied fly or beetle on the front of the well, a pink-winged beetle on the side, and a brownish beetle perched on the center of the lid.
  • Florals: Interspersed between the insects are clusters of garden flowers, including pink roses and small blue forget-me-nots.
  • Accents: The scalloped edges of the tray and the rim of the lid are finished with fine gold (gilt) trim, though it shows some age-related wear.

The mark on the underside of this inkwell is Royal Bayreuth, from the porcelain factory in Tettau, Bavaria (Germany).

Because the Royal Bayreuth factory suffered several devastating fires (notably in 1897 and 1917) that destroyed nearly all their historical molds and records, there is no surviving official master catalog for many of these earlier patterns. However, based on collector documentation and archival sales:

Pattern & Series

• Pattern Category: This design is sometimes referred to by collectors as the “Nature” or “Bug and Blossom” series.
• Pattern Name: While Royal Bayreuth didn’t always provide flowery names for every set, this specific combination of insects and flowers is often identified in secondary markets as the “Insect & Floral” pattern.
• Artistic Style: The “creepy-crawly” motif was part of their “Novelty” line. Unlike the more common “Rose Tapestry” (which has a textured, fabric-like finish), this piece has a high-gloss finish, which was popular for utilitarian desk items that needed to be easy to wipe clean of ink.

Origin & Dating

• Made In: Tettau, Bavaria, Germany.  Date Range: c. 1900–1915. The stamp on the underside has the arched “Royal Bayreuth” text over “Bavaria”—the version most commonly used during the company’s “Golden Age” of novelty exports to the United States.

Market Context

Royal Bayreuth was a leader in what we call “naturalistic” porcelain. While they are world-famous for making creamers shaped like tomatoes or lobsters, their desk sets with hand-painted beetles and flies are much harder to find today. It’s a charming piece—the pink-winged beetle on the side (likely a stylized June bug or Scarab) is a great touch of Art Nouveau whimsy.