Pump Inkwell with Pen Rack

This inkwell operates through displacement to alter the level of ink.

Description

• Reservoir & Base: The central inkwell is a vibrant cobalt blue porcelain cylinder. It is integrated into a white porcelain base shaped like a shallow scalloped shell, which serves as a pen tray.
• Pen Rack: Attached to the rear of the reservoir is a gilded brass rack with a foliate, scrolling design, intended to hold dip pens horizontally.
• Hardware: The top features a heavy brass cap with a fluted, tiered plunger knob. A small white porcelain font is attached to the front, featuring a metal lid secured by a fine chain.

The Pump Mechanism

This inkstand operates through hydrostatic displacement, using an internal plunger to move the ink:

1. Filling the Font: Turning the brass top-knob rotates an internal threaded rod. This action drives a solid porcelain piston (the white block seen in the disassembled view) downward into the main blue reservoir.
2. Ink Delivery: As the piston descends, it displaces the ink, forcing it through a small internal channel and up into the front dipping font.
3. Reverse Action: Rotating the knob in the opposite direction lifts the piston. This creates a slight vacuum that draws the ink out of the font and back into the airtight main cylinder. This kept the ink from thickening or drying out when the well was not in use.

Origin and Age

• Maker: While unmarked, the quality of the cobalt porcelain and the cast-brass rack are highly characteristic of French Palais Royal workshops. These Parisian makers specialized in mechanical “luxury goods” (articles de Paris) often attributed to masters like Tahan or Alphonse Giroux.
• Age: This piece likely dates to the 1860s–1870s. The use of deep cobalt blue porcelain paired with elaborate Rococo-style brass mounts was particularly popular during the Second French Empire.