Solid Brass Letter Rack and Double Inkstand

Description

• Design & Style: The inkstand is made in a Rococo Revival style, featuring elaborate scrollwork, leaf motifs, and a central oval cartouche on the upper backplate. The rear portion of the rack has a fine crisscross lattice pattern.
• Components: It features a two-tiered, integrated letter holder at the back. Flanking the front are two lidded inkwells with hinged tops that open to reveal removable clear glass inserts.
• Pen Tray: Centered between the inkwells is a distinctive, decorative scalloped shell-shaped depression designed to hold extra pen nibs, stamps, or a pen holder.
• Construction: The underside reveals that the piece is assembled from multiple separate cast brass components held together securely by threaded posts and square/hex nuts—a traditional manufacturing method for heavy metal desk stands of this period.

Who Made It & Where Was It Made?

• Manufacturer: The piece is unmarked. During the height of the Victorian era, decorative solid brass desk sets using this method of assembly were produced by prominent metalware firms in the United States, as well as by various foundries in Great Britain and continental Europe (particularly France and Belgium, which specialized in Louis XV and Rococo style repoussé brassware).

How Old Is It?

• Era: Circa 1880–1910.