English: Commemorative inkstand, about 1850, Elkington & Co. V&A Museum no. 481&A-1901

Techniques - Gilt and silvered bronze, with glass lining

Place - Birmingham, England

Dimensions - Height 8 cm, Diameter 23.4 cm

Object Type - This inkstand was probably designed as a souvenir of the Great Exhibition of 1851. The foot of the object is divided into compartments showing images linking raw materials, business and retailing with manufactures and art products. For example 'Manufactures' shows a weaver, a designer and a potter at work. Named designers in the ribbon around the edge of the foot reinforce the links to art and design, while the globe containing the inkwell adds the international dimension that the Great Exhibition was the first to exploit.

People - The inkstand was designed by the designer and illustrator John Leighton (1822-1912), who worked under the pseudonym Luke Limner. The inkstand's design originally appeared as a metal plaque on the cover of the Art Journal catalogue of the Great Exhibition. Leighton designed stained glass, ceramics and bookbindings as well as serving on the jury of the Paris Exhibition of 1878. The inkstand was made by Elkington & Co., the largest and most ambitious silversmiths in the 19th century.

Historical Associations -

The inkstand commemorates the Great Exhibition of 1851 and was made by Elkington and Co., who won a coveted Council medal for the ingenious use of electricity to create works of art. The inkstand was gilded by an electric current.