Antiques, Silver, Curios, Job Lots, Collectables, Curios and much more
Lot 6:
Description
A late 19th-century French desk stand featuring a slab of polished green onyx set within a gilded metal frame. The onyx base is characterised by translucent green tones with prominent brown and cream veining, incorporating a shallow pen rest groove and two upright gilded posts. The stand is mounted with a pair of matching inkwells decorated in the champleve enamel technique. The enamel decoration consists of a light blue ground with scrolling foliate patterns in dark red, white, and dark blue, with stylized floral rosettes to the lids and bodies. The inkwells feature hinged domed covers with pointed finials and are mounted to the stone base with circular gilded plates. The underside of the base is secured by three gilded metal plates, two of which are semi-circular and one rectangular with curved edges, each fitted with rounded feet. No maker’s marks or inscriptions are visible on the metalwork or the stone.
Width: 25.5 cm
Depth: 15 cm
Height: 10 cm.
Condition report:
The champleve enamel remains largely intact, though there is a small area of surface pitting and minor loss to the lower decorative band of the left-hand inkwell (photo 1). The gilded metal surfaces show moderate tarnishing and oxidation, particularly to the interiors of the inkwell pots and the undersides of the lids (photo 3). There is visible wear to the gilding on high-contact areas including the finials and the pen rests (photo 4). The onyx base exhibits natural veining and surface inclusions throughout; the underside shows a rough-cut texture and natural variations in the stone (photo 5). Both internal glass or ceramic ink liners are missing from the metal housings.
Share this lot:
