Desk Accessories
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Desk Accessories For Sale
Peacock or Pheasant Bird Desk Letter Mail Holder
Located in New York, NY
A desk letter or mail holder with a peacock or pheasant bird design, in the Art Nouveau design style, circa early to mid-20th century. A desk letter mail holder with beautiful bird d...
Category
Early 20th Century European Art Nouveau Desk Accessories
Materials
Ceramic
Parker 75 Vermeil Sterling Silver GT Fountain With 14k Yellow Gold Nib
By Parker
Located in Reading, Berkshire
Parker 75 Vermeil Sterling Silver GT Fountain With 14k Yellow Gold Nib.
Supplied With An Original Parker Blue Leather, Blue Velvet Lined Presentation Box
Circa 1964-1969
Made in U...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Art Deco Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver, Gold
$844 Sale Price
25% Off
END OF THE 19th CENTURY ENGLISH TRAVELING WRITING DESK
Located in Firenze, FI
This solid mahogany travel desk is a fine piece of English manufacture from the late 19th century. Made with high quality mahogany wood, it has an elegant and refined appearance. The...
Category
Late 19th Century English Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Leather, Wood
Gabriella Crespi Wood and Brass Parrot Box, Italy 1970s
Located in Milan, IT
Exceptional Gabriella Crespi 'Parrot' box.
Wood and brass.
Signed Gabriella Crespi.
Category
1970s Italian Hollywood Regency Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
$3,586 Sale Price
25% Off
Vintage Christmas Candle Holder Erzgebirge, Germany
Located in Kitzbühel, Tirol
Vintage Christmas candleholder handmade and hand-painted in wood. Decorated with three different figures all in wood and handpainted. The handma...
Category
1950s German Country Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Wood
Rare jugendstil writing set by Erhard
Sohne Germany
By Erhard
Söhne
Located in Banská Štiavnica, SK
Rare jugendstil writing set by Erhard & Sohne Germany including letter holder 10x13x6cm, letter dryer 15x8x6cm and knife 18cm long.
Category
Early 1900s German Jugendstil Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Gardener’s Delight, Antique French Empire Gilt Bronze Beehive Model Encrier
Located in New York, NY
Great fun for a gardening afficionado - a delightful desk accessory wether you're planning a beautiful garden, tending a beehive, ordering new seeds for the season or wish for a an uplifting reminder at your work space of the bounty and beauty of nature...
France, 19th century
This fabulous antique French gilt bronze inkstand has a beehive central well with a hay stack cover, several bees on the surface, flanked by two bronze baskets with covers laden with fruit, flowers and wheat sheaves, at the base of one sits a bird leaning over a large basket with a container for sand in the shape of a large bunch of wheat tied with a rope and a bird perched on top as a cover. The back of this fantasy is composed of a group of garden implements which include a sickle, a spade, a trowel, a scythe, ring pliers and a pitch fork tied with an attractive bow and hung with garlands of flowers, masses of grapes, wheat forming a support for a quill. The base designed as naturalistic wood logs topped with rustic wood...
Category
19th Century French Empire Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Victorian Silver Plate Writing Slope In The Shape of a Book With Compartments
Located in Reading, Berkshire
Unusual Victorian Oak Desk Slope In The Shape of a Book With Internal Divisional Sections Complete With With Two Cut Glass Inkwells Bound With Silver Plate Decorative Idents
Inkwel...
Category
19th Century British Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver Plate
$1,640 Sale Price / set
20% Off
Oak and Polychrome "Öresund" Desk Organizer by Børge Mogensen, Karl Andersson
Located in Hägersten, SE
Desk organizer model A4/3 from the Öresund series designed by Børge Mogensen. Produced in Sweden by Karl Andersson & Söner during the 1960s. Made from solid oak with three drawers in...
Category
1950s Swedish Scandinavian Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Oak, Lacquer
1960
s New Old Stock Vintage Bracelet Set Of Five - Size Small
Located in Hook, Hampshire
1960's New Old Stock Vintage Bracelet Set Of Five - Size Small.
We recently came across a large hoard of new old stock hardware and general merchandise items, laying untouched sinc...
Category
1960s Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Plastic
Andy Warhol Diaries, Hard-Cover Library or Coffee Table Book, 1989
By Andy Warhol
Located in New York, NY
'The Andy Warhol Diaries' book is hard-cover, first edition, May 1989.
The Andy Warhol Diaries is the dictated memoirs of the American artist, Andy Warhol, posthumously published, May 1989, USA. It was edited by his frequent collaborator and long-time friend, Pat Hackett...
Category
1980s American Post-Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Paper
Midcentury Modern Walnut Wood and Brass Desk or Table Lamp
Located in New York, NY
A Midcentury Modern walnut wood and brass desk or table lamp, circa mid-20th century. Lamp is turned wood with soft edges and indents of horizontal brass bands. This lamp would make ...
Category
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Archimede Seguso Murano Pink White Gold Italian Art Glass Swan Bird Sculpture
Located in Kissimmee, FL
Beautiful vintage Murano hand blown dark pink to opal white, and gold flecks Italian art glass swan sculpture / figurine. Documented to designer Archimede Seguso, with original "Arch...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Gold Leaf
$500 Sale Price
33% Off
Vintage Patinated Pipe Extractor Bit Paperweight
Located in Amityville, NY
1970s pipe extractor bit with amazing patina used as a paperweight. Conical in shape with sculptural threading, this piece is great as a masculine desk object or accessory.
From th...
Category
1970s Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal
$49 Sale Price
50% Off
Antique LC Smith
Corona Super Speed Typewriter c.1942
Located in San Francisco, CA
ABOUT
An original LC Smith & Corona Typewriter with a 14 inch carriage. The serial number is 1A1758024-12 stamped in the inside. The keys are nickel with black face and white number...
Category
Early 20th Century Industrial Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal, Steel
Tiffany Studios New York Bronze Doré and Abalone Pen Tray
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous Arts & crafts period gilt bronze and inlaid abalone pen tray
By Tiffany Studios (signed to the underside)
New York, USA, Early 20th Century
Measures: 8.75"W x 2.63"D x ...
Category
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Glass Eye Studio Controlled Bubbles Paperweight, Seattle Art Glass
Located in Clifton Springs, NY
Vintage sculptural paperweight features swirling structure of controlled bubbles, encased inside a clear glass layer in sommerso technique. The piece has elongated egg shape with soft, rounded edges, that directs the eye towards the central design element. Colorful fused glass in pastel blue, pink, and off-white colors forms abstract patterns, raising from the base of the paperweight and encompassing its curves, accentuate the shape of the piece, and slightly iridescent finish on the surface add color and visual interest to the piece.
The piece is signed and dated in etching (GES 92) on the side near the base.
Founded in 1978 in Seattle’s famed Pike Place Market, but moved to the historic Ballard neighborhood later on, Glass Eye Studio...
Category
1990s American Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass, Art Glass, Sommerso
Mid-century Typewriter Olivetti Studio 42, 1946 Italy
By Olivetti
Located in Praha, CZ
Made in Italy in the 1940's by Olivetti.
Made of plastic, chrome.
Fully functional, re-polished, in original condition with signs of wear.
Category
1940s Czech Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Chrome
Stainless Steel Japan Letter Opener Desk Tool Vintage
Located in Chula Vista, CA
For your consideration, a vintage stainless steel letter opener , which includes a knife and small scissors. Made in Japan circa the 1960s. Stamped. Clean modern design.
Dimension...
Category
1960s Japanese Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Stainless Steel
Beautiful Art Nouveau Inkwell, Signed "Guénardeau", Susse Frères
Located in Greven, DE
Exceptionally beautiful inkwell from the French Art Nouveau period.
Great workmanship of Art Nouveau decor with maple and vine motifs on the bottom of the pen tray, the ink cup holde...
Category
Late 19th Century Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Gold, Bronze
$497 Sale Price
20% Off
Midcentury Tommaso Barbi Burl and Chrome Square Picture Frame, Italy 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Astonishing midcentury chromed brass and burl square photo frame. This beautiful piece was designed in Italy in the 1970s by Tomaso Barbi and is als...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal, Chrome
George III 18th Century Mahogany Letter Box. Circa 1790
Located in Incline Village, NV
Fine quality circa 1790 Georgian letter box, with three compartment fitted interior (see image). Exterior has original double brass hinged slope top with serpentine shaped front, and...
Category
Late 18th Century English George III Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Mahogany
Hand-Carved Wooden and Glass Inkwell with Dog Figure, 1920s
Located in Barntrup, DE
Beautiful Black Forest style hand-carved linden wood inkwell with a realistic dog figure with glass eyes. The stand includes a designated rest for pens and accessories in the front, ...
Category
1920s Swiss Black Forest Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass, Wood
Complete Purdon
s Gilt Leather Bound Library Book Collection Set
Located in Tarry Town, NY
Complete collection set of gilt leather bound library book set of one hundred twenty nine volumes. PURDON'S Pennsylvania Statutes & Consolidated Statutes Annotated. Copyright 2003 by...
Category
Early 2000s Desk Accessories
Materials
Paper, Leather
Extremely Rare Rotterdammer Tile with Two Men in a Boat, Early 17th Century
Located in AMSTERDAM, NH
An extremely rare, so-called, Rotterdammer tile, with the decoration of a sailboat.
Country: The Netherlands
Place: Rotterdam
Date: circa 1615 - 1620
Workshop: Claes Wijtmans
This tile comes from one of the most rare and sought after tile series...
Category
Early 17th Century Dutch Renaissance Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Ceramic, Majolica
19th Century Victorian Writing Slope/ Travel Desk Box, Brass Bound, UK ca. 1815
Located in Lichtenberg, AT
Impressive Victorian writing slope or travel desk - attributed to the famous company of Thompson - from the period around 1800 - 1815 in the United Kingdom. This fantastic Captain’s campaign writing slope dates back to the Napoleonic wars. Well constructed out of solid mahogany with screwed down mount re-enforcements, brass banding, and inset carrying handles at each end, this outstanding travel desk box was designed to withstand the harsh maritime life at sea. The exterior of this Victorian travel box shows an attractive mahogany grain, beautiful colour, and a lovely pleasing patina. There are a couple of old indented scars to the lid along with the usual minor surface scratching, but these imperfections confer it an absolutely unique charme. The box has a tri-fold operation, opening to reveal a secondary smaller writing surface for quick use, then opening again to reveal the main slope fitted with a green felt writing surface which is in reasonable condition and compliments the original interior. When it is completely opened you have two storage compartments underneath. The original lock works smoothly with the original key. The original interior is nicely fitted out with a dark green leather drop-down section in the lid which features four memoire pockets. This section can additionally be lowered to reveal a document wallet...
Category
Early 19th Century British Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Set of Two Porcelain Bowls Easter Decor Sofina Boutique Kitzbuehel
Located in Kitzbühel, Tirol
Set of two completely handmade and hands-free painted porcelain bowls with a Easter decor. Rimmed with a fine platinum line. Handmade in Bavaria/Germany b...
Category
2010s German Country Desk Accessories
Materials
Porcelain
Modern set of 2 travertine giraffe shaped bookends, F.lli Mannelli, Italy 1970
Located in Firenze, IT
Modern set of 2 travertine giraffe shaped bookends
Fratelli Mannelli, Italy 1970s
H 26 cm 8 × 6 cm / piece
Conditions: excellent consistent with age and use
Category
1970s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Travertine
Mid-Century Curved Leather Italian Picture Frame by Nova Tecno, Italy 1970s
Located in Roma, IT
Gorgeous rectangular photo frame fully made in a fantastic thick curved leather. This incredibly elegant and unique object was hand-made in Italy during the 1970s by Nova Tecno.
Thi...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Leather, Glass
Lady Schaeffer Fountain Pen With 14k Nib
Mechanical Pencil Boxed Set
Located in Reading, Berkshire
Lady Schaeffer Fountain Pen 14k Nib
Mechanical Pencil Pens Set With
Supplied With An Original Plastic Schaeffer Presentation Box
Mid-20th Century, Made in USA
Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal
$788 Sale Price / set
30% Off
Monique Gerber French Sculptural Cast Bronze Letter Opener Art du Bronze
Located in Chicago, IL
Monique Gerber French bronze cast letter opener in a very sculptural and minimalist form.
Designed Monique Gerber.
Can be used as a sculptural object or paper weight as well.
Re...
Category
1970s French Minimalist Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Shoehorn brass around 1950s
Located in Wien, AT
Shoehorn brass around 1950s
Original condition
Category
1950s Austrian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Frank Stella Abstract Artist Metropolitan Museum of Art Book, 1970, New York
By Frank Stella
Located in New York, NY
A hard-cover book with dust-jacket on abstract American artist Frank Stella, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1970, New York, NY. This book presents a decade of Sella's work from 1959 - 1...
Category
1970s American Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Paper
Oltrarno Grey Pencil Holder
By Cassigoli
Located in Milan, IT
Wooden handmade pencil holder dressed in soft genuine leather with decorative stitching and soft microfiber. Available in 14 different colors. Please, ask the Concierge for further d...
Category
2010s Italian Desk Accessories
Materials
Leather
$240 / item
Art Deco Figural Bronze Bookends, Signed Herzig, 1930s
Located in Devon, England
Beautiful Art Deco chromed bronze bookends, depicting swift birds on an arched branch. Engraved BRONZE and signed HERZIG. Originating from France.
Category
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze, Chrome
Vintage Metal and Brass Lighter, Italy, Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Vintage metal and brass lighter is an original decorative object realized in the mid-20th Century.
Made in Italy.
Dimensions: 10.5 x 6 cm.
Good...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Vintage French Equestrian Letter Opener, Christian Dior, c.1970
s
Located in Bath, GB
An unusual and highly sought-after vintage silver plated letter opener by the world renowned, Christian Dior.
The letter opener is fashioned in the form of a belt with engraved "s...
Category
1970s French Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver Plate
Vintage Brass Handled Magnifying Glass
Located in San Diego, CA
Vintage brass handled magnifying glass, circa 1980s. #4348
Category
20th Century American Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
BMW Cafe Racer Motorcycle Lighter, 1980s Japan
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Cool vintage table lighter in the shape of a BMW cafe racer motorcycle. Made completely of metal with a hollow body. Beautiful burnished silver color with intricate details. Cool tobacco accessory and conversation piece. Working lighter...
Category
1980s Japanese Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal
Early 20th Century Polished Brass Renaissance Style Inkwell
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
An antique ink stand, made of polished brass, completely in Renaissance style, with richly pieced scroll motifs. The inkwell has two removable ink we...
Category
Early 1900s French Renaissance Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Alligator Desk Top Letter Tray
Located in valatie, NY
This letter tray features a combination of Italian calf leather and cognac brown alligator. Sized to accommodate letter-size paper this tray adds both function and eye appeal to your...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Colombian Desk Accessories
Materials
Alligator
Belle marble bookend with brass jester
Located in Firenze, FI
Add a touch of playfulness to your living space with our striking marble bookend featuring a brass jester. Not only is it a unique and eye-catching piece, but it's also practical for...
Category
2010s Italian Desk Accessories
Materials
Marble, Brass
$1,075 / item
Antique God Atlas Sterling Silver Figural Wax Seal Stamper. German 19-Century.
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
Antique God Atlas Sterling Silver Figural Wax Seal Stamper.
Rara Antique, circa 1850, wax seal stamp.
Moldelled as the God Atlas (Greek Mythology).
The globe rotates.
Museum quality...
Category
19th Century German Classical Greek Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver, Sterling Silver
1950’s FROST triple blade oscillating desk fan / ventilator
By Frost
Located in Bern, CH
Beautiful 1950’s FROST triple blade oscillating desk fan / ventilator. With three variable speeds and adjustable angle. Desk or wall mountable. Lovely Nile Blue colour. In prime cond...
Category
Mid-20th Century British Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal
$442 Sale Price
25% Off
Silver letter opener with coin relief on top and cross on the blade.
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Silver letter opener with coin relief on top and cross on the blade.
Metal: Silver.
Origin: Portuguese.
Brand: boar II Title.
Weight: 62.19 grams.
Dimensions: 22cmx...
Category
19th Century Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal
$275 Sale Price
50% Off
Antique Ornate Letter Rack, Italian, Gilt Stationery Stand, Desk Tidy, Victorian
Located in Hele, Devon, GB
This is an antique ornate letter rack. An Italian, gilt metal stationery stand or desk tidy, dating to the late Victorian period, circa 1900.
Striking Continental taste with classic...
Category
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal
Vintage Onyx Paperweight
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage Italian spherical onyx desk paperweight, in natural neutral hues / Made in Italy circa 1970s
Measures: diameter 4 inches
Order reference #: FABIOLTD G178
This piece makes for...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Onyx
$240 Sale Price
40% Off
Monumental Calligraphy Brush 37" Marble Rings
Located in Somis, CA
An extraordinary, oversize Chinese calligraphy brush with a collection of 14 jumbo marble rings divided by white satin ribbons. This massive brush weighs a whopping 4.5 lb with a gia...
Category
20th Century Chinese Desk Accessories
Materials
Marble
$660 Sale Price
40% Off
Set of two desk accessories in Murano glass Saint Gobain Mid-Century Modern 70s
Located in Palermo, IT
Elegant Set of paper divider and desk pen holder in crystal glass in shades of antique pink with brass accessories, produced in the 70s by the French company Saint Gobain and attribu...
Category
Mid-20th Century French Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Crystal, Brass
$210 Sale Price / set
74% Off
Minimalist Desk Lamp Robert Sonneman,
80s
Located in New York, NY
A designer black desk, task, or nightstand table lamp/light, Minimalist design period, 1988. Lamp is by designer Robert Sonneman for Robert Kovacs maker. With designer and makers' ma...
Category
1980s American Minimalist Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal
Brass Taper Pen Stand by Stem Design
Located in Geneve, CH
Brass Taper Pen Stand by Stem Design
Dimensions: D 8 x W 10 x H 11 cm.
Materials: Brass.
Finish: Tumbled and burnished.
Weight: 1,4 kg.
Finished and assembled by hand in India. Also available in aluminum. Please contact us.
An ellipse rising from a wide base, the Taper pen stand reveals its character through a simple and honest form. The surface reflects light beautifully and results in a subtle sheen, giving it the ability to add richness to any table setting and the objects it holds. The solid form available in aluminum and brass is imagined on a work desk, a night-stand, the shelves in the corridor, or a bar counter.
The objects layers on as a metaphor and showcases the beauty of being who you are. It strips off all the layers of ornamentation and artificial finishes to build an immediate and intuitive connection with the product that lasts a lifetime.
Stem is a contemporary Indian product...
Category
2010s Indian Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
$334 / item
Coq Nain, Rooster, iconic paperweight sculpture, designed by R. Lalique, France
By Lalique
Located in Puglia, Puglia
"Coq Nain" crystal paperweight, signed Lalique. Model no. 1135.
Originally created as car mascots, they were mostly designed and created by René Lalique in the mid- to late 1920s be...
Category
1950s French Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Crystal
Vintage Austrian Art Deco Industrial Worker Bronze or Brass Letter Opener, 1930s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Vintage Solid Brass or Bronze Letter Opener, Austria, Art Deco / Industrial Brutalist Style
A striking vintage letter opener cast in solid brass or bronze and modeled as an industri...
Category
1930s Austrian Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Vintage Austrian Art Nouveau Style Nude Girl Bronze or Brass Letter Opener 1950s
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Vintage Solid Brass Nude Lady Letter Opener, Austria, Mid-20th Century
A striking vintage letter opener cast in solid brass and modeled as a reclining nude female figure. This decor...
Category
Mid-20th Century Austrian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Mid 19th Century campaign camphor metamorphic lap desk
Located in Debenham, Suffolk
Rare and good quality Chinese export camphor wood writing desk, circa 1860.
Brass bound around the outer edges and carrying handles to each side. These desk were made for sea captai...
Category
Mid-19th Century Chinese Campaign Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Danish Oak Desk Office Organizer with Shelves
Located in New York, NY
A Danish modern, Scandinavian Modern, Mid-Century Modern style, blonde oak wood desk, office, library, etc., organizer with book space and paper/mail/letter tray holder shelf areas, by Pedersen & Hansen, circa late-20th century, Denmark. Three (3) horizontal and three (3) vertical storage...
Category
Late 20th Century Danish Scandinavian Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Oak
Vintage Japanese Cast Iron Persimmon Suiteki Water Dropper
Located in Fairfield, CA
A vintage cast iron Japanese suiteki water dropper in the shape of a persimmon. Traditionally used for calligraphy or ink painting. Made in Japan, original sticker attached.
Category
Mid-20th Century Japanese Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal
Vintage Japanese Cast Iron Gourd Suiteki Water Dropper
Located in Fairfield, CA
A vintage cast iron suiteki water dropper in the shape of a gourd. Traditionally used for calligraphy or ink painting. Made in Japan, original sticker attached.
Category
Mid-20th Century Japanese Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal
Brass Shark Paperweight
Located in San Diego, CA
Brass shark paperweight, circa 1970's. The piece is. in very good vintage condition with a nice patina and measures 7"W x 3.5"D x 2"H. #4139
Category
Mid-20th Century American Hollywood Regency Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Set of four 18th Century Blue and White Delft Tiles Framed in Custom Iron Frame
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Set of four 18th Century Blue and White Delft Tiles Framed in Custom Iron Frame
Category
Late 18th Century Dutch Rococo Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Iron
$343 Sale Price
30% Off
Antique, New and Vintage Desk Accessories
Whether you’ve carved out a space for a nifty home office or you prefer the morning commute, why not dress up your desk with antique and vintage desk accessories? To best tiptoe the line between desk efficiency and desk enjoyment, we suggest adding a touch of the past to your modern-day space.
Desks are a funny thing. Their basic premise has remained the same for quite literally centuries: a flat surface, oftentimes a drawer, and potentially a shelf or two. However, the contents that lay upon the desk? Well, the evolution has been drastic to say the least.
Thank the Victorians for the initial popularity of the paperweight. The Industrial Revolution offered the novel concept of leisure-time to Europeans, giving them more time to take part in the then crucial activity of letter writing. Decorative glass paperweight designs were all the rage, and during the mid-19th-century some of the most popular makers included the French companies of Baccarat, St. Louis and Clichy.
As paper was exceedingly expensive in the early to mid-19th-century, every effort was made to utilize a full sheet of it. Paper knives, which gave way to the modern letter opener, were helpful for cutting paper down to an appropriate size.
Books — those bound volumes of paper, you may recall — used to be common occurrences on desks of yore and where there were books there needed to be bookends. As a luxury item, bookend designs have run the gamut from incorporating ultra-luxurious materials (think marble and Murano glass) to being whimsical desk accompaniments (animal figurines were highly popular choices).
Though the inkwell’s extinction was ushered in by the advent of the ballpoint pen (itself quasi-obsolete at this point), there is still significant charm to be had from placing one of these bauble-like objets in a central spot on one’s desk. You may be surprised to discover the mood-boosting powers an antique — and purposefully empty — inkwell can provide.
The clamor for desk clocks arose as the Industrial Revolution transitioned labor from outdoors to indoors, and allowed for the mass-production of clock parts in factories. Naturally, elaborate designs soon followed and clocks could be found made by artisans and luxury houses like Cartier.
Find antique and vintage desk accessories today on 1stDibs.