Souvenir Inkwell – Baden-Baden Germany

This is a souvenir inkwell from the famous German spa town of Baden-Baden.

1. Description of the Inkwell

• Form: The inkwell is a heavy cube of emerald green glass. It is cut with chamfered (beveled) corners to create a faceted, jewel-like appearance.
• The Lid: The top features a flat glass lid that is engraved and gilded with the text “Baden Baden” in a traditional German Fraktur (Gothic) script.
• Mechanism: The lid swivels horizontally on a pin rather than flipping up on a hinge.
• Decoration: The sides are heavily decorated with Rococo-style scrollwork in gold, framing hand-painted enamel flowers (Forget-me-nots and white violets).

2. The Gilded Overlay Technique

• Technique: This is Raised Paste Gilding (or Relief Enamel).
• Process:

1. The artist first painted the scroll design using a thick, putty-like paste (often a mix of glass powder and oil).
2. This raised design was fired in a kiln to harden it.
3. Gold Leaf or high-quality gold paint was applied over the raised paste and fired again.
4. Finally, the gold was burnished (polished) to a high shine. This creates a 3D texture that looks like solid metal but is actually painted glass.
5. Origin and History: Baden-Baden

• Origin: The glass was almost certainly made in Bohemia (modern-day Czech Republic) or a German glass center (like the Bavarian Forest) specifically for the tourist market in Baden-Baden.
• Baden-Baden History: Located in the Black Forest, Baden-Baden was the “Summer Capital of Europe” in the 19th century.
  • The Clientele: It was the playground of royalty and the ultra-wealthy. Queen Victoria, Kaiser Wilhelm I, Napoleon III, and Russian aristocrats (like Dostoevsky and Turgenev) frequented its thermal baths and famous casino.
  • The Souvenir: Because the visitors were wealthy, the souvenirs sold in the promenade shops were of high quality—like this heavy, hand-gilded crystal inkwell—rather than cheap trinkets.

4. Age

• Date: Circa 1870–1900 (Late Victorian / Gründerzeit).
  • The specific “Emerald Green” glass was incredibly popular in the 1880s.
  • The use of the Gothic script and the raised gold scrollwork is typical of Central European decorative arts from the late 19th century.