Souvenir – 1851 Great Exhibition

A bronze-washed figural ink stand, originally purchased as a souvenir from the 1851 Great Exhibition, held in Hyde Park, London. Done in Italian Renaissance style by Elkington and Company of Birmingham, England, the figural lid shows a classical Roman Noble atop a stepped round base with lobed and fluted tiers, swagged garland and Satyr faces at the bottom. The tripod feet are again mythological faces with scrolled flourishes as supports.

The underside of the stand bears the “Elkington” stamp reading “Department of Science and Art”. Elkington & Co. exhibited to great acclaim at the Exhibition which was organized by Prince Albert and Henry Cole (a British artist and inventor) as a showcase for both the mechanical and artistic achievements of the time. The exhibition was held at the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, so named for the dome glass roof that was created to accommodate the local elm trees (as well as the hundreds of sparrows living in the trees).