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

glass Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling ( quenching ...

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises main ...

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...

, or

pewter Pewter () is a malleable metal alloy consisting of tin (85–99%), antimony (approximately 5–10%), copper (2%), bismuth, and sometimes silver. Copper and antimony (and in antiquity lead) act as hardeners, but lead may be used in lower grades ...

, 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. Thicker ...

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, the metal- nibbed pen, the fountain pen, and, eventual ...

, or

dip pen A dip pen or nib pen or pen nib usually consists of a metal nib with capillary channels like those of fountain pen nibs, mounted in a handle or holder, often made of wood. Other materials can be used for the holder, including bone, metal and pla ...

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 which uses a metal nib to apply a water-based ink to paper. It is distinguished from earlier dip pens by using an internal reservoir to hold ink, eliminating the need to repeatedly dip the pen in an in ...

. 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 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 profession of the scribe, previously widespread across cultures, lost most of its promin ...

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'') can also refer to a ...

. Knowledge of

hieroglyph A hieroglyph ( Greek for "sacred carvings") was a character of the ancient Egyptian writing system. Logographic scripts that are pictographic in form in a way reminiscent of ancient Egyptian are also sometimes called "hieroglyphs". In Neoplatoni ...

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: '' pr ꜥꜣ''; cop, , Pǝrro; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') is the vernacular term often used by modern authors for the kings of ancient Egypt who ruled as monarchs from the First Dynasty (c. 3150 BC) until the ...

. 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: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, former ''GUT''; pl, Politechnika Gdańska) is a technical university in the Wrzeszcz borough of Gdańsk, and one of the oldest universities in Poland. It has eight faculties and with 41 fie ...

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

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In ...

inkwell of king

Sigismund III Vasa Sigismund III Vasa ( pl, Zygmunt III Waza, lt, Žygimantas Vaza; 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 and Grand Duke of Finland from 1592 to ...

, 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, located in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on the city's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian ...

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 located approximately five miles (8 km) east of downtown Cleveland, Ohio in University Circle, a 550-acre (220 ha) concentration of educational, cultural and medical instit ...

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

Kufic 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. It ...

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 ...

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 *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

References

{{Authority control Writing implements Pens Visual arts materials Decorative arts

Origins

Gallery

Bibliography

See also

References