An inkwell is a small jar or container, often made of

glass Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...

porcelain Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

, or

pewter Pewter () is a malleable metal alloy consisting of tin (85–99%), antimony (approximately 5–10%), copper (2%), bismuth, and sometimes silver. In the past, it was an alloy of tin and lead, but most modern pewter, in order to prevent lead poi ...

, used for holding

ink Ink is a gel, sol, or solution that contains at least one colorant, such as a dye or pigment, and is used to color a surface to produce an image, text, or design. Ink is used for drawing or writing with a pen, brush, reed pen, or quill. ...

in a place convenient for the person who is writing. The artist or writer dips the brush,

quill A quill is a writing tool made from a moulted flight feather (preferably a primary wing-feather) of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen/metal-Nib (pen), nibbed pen, the fountain pen, and, event ...

, or

dip pen A dip pen is a writing instrument used to apply ink to paper. It usually consists of a metal nib (pen), nib with a central slit that acts as a capillary action, capillary channel like those of fountain pen nibs, mounted in a handle or holder, ofte ...

into the inkwell as needed or uses the inkwell as the source for filling the reservoir of a

fountain pen A fountain pen is a writing instrument that uses a metal nib (pen), nib to apply Fountain pen ink, water-based ink, or special pigment ink—suitable for fountain pens—to paper. It is distinguished from earlier dip pens by using an internal r ...

. An inkwell usually has a lid to prevent contamination, evaporation, accidental spillage, and excessive exposure to air. A type known as the travelling inkwell was fitted with a secure screw lid so a traveller could carry a supply of ink in their luggage without the risk of leakage.

Origins

The inkwell's origins may be traced back to

Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

where

scribes A scribe is a person who serves as a professional copyist, especially one who made copies of manuscripts before the invention of automatic printing. The work of scribes can involve copying manuscripts and other texts as well as secretarial and ...

would write on

papyrus Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, ''Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'' or ''papyruses'') can a ...

. Knowledge of

hieroglyph Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs ( ) were the formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt for writing the Egyptian language. Hieroglyphs combined ideographic, logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements, with more than 1,000 distinct characters. ...

s was at the time highly restricted. Only scribes knew the full array of hieroglyphs and would write on the behalf of their employers, usually the

pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...

. After Rome invaded Egypt, inkwells became more popular in Italy as a larger percentage of the population were capable of writing. Inkwells gradually fell out of use in the early part of 20th century as the reservoir fountain pen (which needs to be filled only occasionally) replaced the dip pen, which needed to be dipped in ink after writing a few lines. Old school desks had round holes for inkwells.

Gallery

File:Inkhorn and ivory case, 9th-13th c, exh. Benedictines NG Prague, 150683.jpg, Inkhorn with

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and Tooth, teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mamm ...

case (

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, 9th–13th century). An inkhorn is an inkwell made of

horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...

File:Chemical auditory, 1904.jpg, Stands for dip pens and inkwells in the desks of student benches in the historic Chemical Auditorium of the

Gdańsk University of Technology The Gdańsk University of Technology (Gdańsk Tech, formerly GUT; ) is a public research university in Gdańsk, Poland. Founded in 1904 and re-established in 1945, it is the oldest university of technology in modern-day Poland. It is consisten ...

, 1904 File:Ritterling 13 (3D reconstruction).png, 3D model of a Roman Ritt. 13 inkpot File:Anonymous Amber inkwell 01.jpg,

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin. Examples of it have been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since the Neolithic times, and worked as a gemstone since antiquity."Amber" (2004). In Maxine N. Lurie and Marc Mappen (eds.) ''Encyclopedia ...

inkwell of king

Sigismund III Vasa Sigismund III Vasa (, ; 20 June 1566 – 30 April 1632 N.S.) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1587 to 1632 and, as Sigismund, King of Sweden from 1592 to 1599. He was the first Polish sovereign from the House of Vasa. Re ...

, 1590s File:Travelling Inkwells.jpg, Examples of 19th century Travelling Inkwells File:Tudric Inkwell.jpg, Tudric pewter Inkwell File:Ecole-banc1900.jpg, French school desks, c. 1900. The holes for the student's inkwells can be seen File:MEK II-438.jpg, Inkwell, currently at the MEK File:Pallme-König & Habel - Inkwell - 2008.67 - Cleveland Museum of Art.tif, alt=Pallme-König & Habel — Inkwell - 2008.67 - Cleveland Museum of Art, Pallme-König & Habel — Inkwell - 2008.67 -

Cleveland Museum of Art The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) is an art museum in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. Located in the Wade Park District of University Circle, the museum is internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian art, Asian and Art of anc ...

File:England or America, 19th century - Inkwell Set - 1961.172 - Cleveland Museum of Art.jpg, alt=England or America, 19th century — Inkwell Set - 1961.172 - Cleveland Museum of Art, England or America, 19th century — Inkwell Set - 1961.172 - Cleveland Museum of Art File:Inkwell carved from anthracite - Cleveland Museum of Natural History (34362298300).jpg, alt=Inkwell carved from anthracite — Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Inkwell carved from anthracite -

Cleveland Museum of Natural History The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is a natural history museum in University Circle, a district of educational, cultural and medical institutions approximately five miles (8 km) east of Downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The ...

File:Khalili Collection Islamic Art mxd 0056.1.jpg, 10th century medieval Islamic agate inkwell inscribed with

Kufic The Kufic script () is a style of Arabic script, that gained prominence early on as a preferred script for Quran transcription and architectural decoration, and it has since become a reference and an archetype for a number of other Arabic scripts ...

script.

Khalili Collection The Khalili Collections are eight distinct art collections assembled by Nasser D. Khalili over five decades. Together, the collections include some 35,000 works of art, and each is considered among the most important in its field. Among these ...

References

Bibliography

*''The Collector's World of Inkwells'', Jean & Franklin Hunting, Schiffer Publishing Ltd *''The Write Stuff Inkwells Pens & Desk Accessories'', Ray & Bevy Jaegers, Krause Publications *''McGraw's Book of Antique Inkwells Volume 1'', Vincent D McGraw, published privately 1972 *''Edwardian Shopping 1898–1913 selection facsimile'', Army & Navy Stores, David & Charles *''Pens & Writing Equipment'', Jim Marshall, Miller's *''English Silver Hallmarks'', Judith Bannister, W Foulsham & Co Ltd *''Handbook of Pottery & Porcelain Marks'', J P Cushion, Faber & Faber Ltd *''Walter's Inkwells of 1885 Book 1'', Leo G Walter, published privately 1968 *''Inkbottles & Inkwells'', William E Covill Jnr, William S Sullwold 1971 *''Inkstands & Inkwells A Collector's Guide'', Betty & Ted Rivera, Crown Publishers Inc, *''Inkwells Identification & Values Book 1'',Veldon Badders, Schroeder Publishing Inc, *''Inkwells Identification & Values Book II'', Veldon Badders, Schroeder Publishing Inc, *''Western Writing Implements'', Michael Finlay, Plains Books *''Writing Antiques'', George Mell, Shire Publications Ltd *''Writing Implements & Accessories'', Joyce Irene Whalley, David & Charles *''Yesterday's Shopping 1907 facsimile'', Army & Navy Stores, David & Charles *''The Story of Writing'', Donald Jackson, Studio Vista *''The Enormous File, A Social History of the Office'', Alan Delgado, John Murray *''Doulton Ink Wares'', Colin Roberts, BEE Publications *''Ink, Glue, Polish and Blacking Bottles, A Collector's Dictionary, 1750-1950,'' Guy Burch, Mistletoe Towny 2023 *De Vito, C., Medeghini, L., Mignardi, S., Coletti, F., & Contino, A. (2017). (Rome, Italy): Production technology. ''Journal of the European Ceramic Society'', 37(4), 1779–1788. 10.1016/j.jeurceramsoc.2016.11.044

External links

Society of Inkwell Collectors
{{Authority control Writing implements Pens Visual arts materials Decorative arts

Origins

Gallery

See also

References

Bibliography

External links