Yale College Inkwell

This is cream-colored ceramic inkwell with a sterling silver lid and collar bears the seal of Yale College.

Ceramic Body: The inkwell’s ceramic body is a smooth, bulbous style. The cream-colored glaze exhibits fine crazing, which are the tiny crackle lines that form over time.

The Yale Insignia: The inkwell is a special commission, as evidenced by the bold blue transfer-printed seal of Yale College on its side. This seal, or coat of arms, provides historical context. The seal features:

• A central open book inscribed with the Hebrew words: אורים ותמים (Urim v’Thummim), which translates to “Light and Perfections.”
• The Latin motto on a surrounding banner: Lux et Veritas, meaning “Light and Truth.”
• The full inscription around the perimeter reads: SIGILL: COLL: YALEN: NOV: PORT: NOV: ANGL:, which translates to “The Seal of Yale College, New Haven, New England.” The use of “Yale College” instead of “Yale University” places the inkwell in a specific historical window, as the school was officially renamed in 1887.

Sterling Silver Lid: The inkwell is topped with a heavy, hinged sterling silver lid and collar. The collar is decorated with a beaded pattern. The hinged lid, also with a beaded edge, is engraved with a Gothic-style monogram, likely the initials of its original owner. The inkwell has its original removable ceramic insert.

Maker’s Mark: The base of the inkwell is marked with a circular stamp featuring the name “Taylor, Tunnicliff & Co” with a crown above it, along with the number “6733”. This is a specific pattern number for this design.

Historical Context and Dating:

• Origin: Taylor, Tunnicliff & Co. was a prominent English ceramics manufacturer founded in Staffordshire, England, in 1867. They specialized in high-quality decorative and utilitarian wares, often with silver or silver-plate mounts. The company did not have a factory in the U.S.; it manufactured its wares in England and exported them worldwide, including to America.
• Age: The company produced these types of high-quality wares, often with silver accents, between 1867 and 1898, before shifting their focus almost entirely to industrial ceramics like electrical insulators. Therefore, this inkwell dates to this period. The use of “Yale College” on the seal further refines the possible date to sometime before the university was officially renamed in 1887. The combination of these factors suggests a manufacture date between 1867 and 1887.