Inkstand

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Known in the eighteenth century as “ink standishes,” inkstands were a common desk accessory. This example features a compartment for a glass inkpot with a bell cover and four spaces for quills, which were frequently made from goose feathers. The two drawers beneath provided storage for seals and pounce, a dry substance used for drying ink and preparing paper. This inkstand was designed to contain all of the necessary tools for writing, which made it easily transportable. A rare survival in pewter, it is unusual for its compact design and cube shape.

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art