Inkstand

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The inkstand was an indispensable object for the letter writer and could be made of many materials. Those of gilt bronze would complement beautifully the mounts of the writing table it was placed on. It contained an inkpot and a container with a perforated lid for fine sand or pounce, used for blotting the excess ink, on a tray that would also hold the quills, a knife and the sealing wax. A bell to notify the servant that a letter was ready for delivery is found in the middle.

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