ITALIAN, 19TH CENTURY

The composition of this inkstand seems to have originated from a design for a cup, engraved by Cornelis Floris in 1548 (see Y. Hackenbroch, 'Jacopo Bilivert and the Rospigliosi Cup', The Connoisseur, CLXXII, November 1969, p. 176). It was adapted for use as an inkstand, and several variant bronze examples exist which appear to date from the late 16th or early 17th century. The popularity of the design can be attested to by the fact that, as with the present piece, it was still being produced as late as the 19th century.