Antique Edwardian silver treasury inkstand

A wonderful and heavy quality antique inkstand in the treasury style with cast scroll handles and original hallmarked ink bottles. It has four hinged compartments, two of which house the bottles, a long one for pens and a smaller section for other accoutrements.

Many fine articles were manufactured under the D & J Wellby name during the latter part of the Victorian era and into the 20th century.

In 16th century Europe writing was considered to be a lowly task, and the aristocracy and upper classes would employ the services of a scribe or scrivener to write on their behalf using a quill pen and ink.

From the 17th century onwards, as the gentry began to undertake writing themselves, inkwells and inkstands became an essential accessory in every upper-class household. Silver, often combined with glass or crystal, was the most popular material used for inkstands and as well as having a practical use, some became more imposing and elaborate, often turning into decorative pieces in their own right.