Desk Accessories
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Desk Accessories For Sale
An Antique Baccarat Pansy Paperweight, c1880
By Baccarat
Located in Tunbridge Wells, GB
An Antique Baccarat Pansy Paperweight, c1880
Additional information:
Date : c1880
Origin : Baccarat France
Features : A lampwork pansy, leaves stem and bud on a clear ground with st...
Category
19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass, Art Glass
Silver bell with mechanism inside resting on a guilloche cup
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Silver bell with mechanism inside resting on a guilloche cup. Metal: Silver. Origin: Portuguese. Brand: javali II Title. Weight: 347.23 grams. Dimensions: 16x5cm. Conten...
Category
19th Century European Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver
$750 Sale Price
50% Off
Rosewood calendar with silver fittings and side adjustment
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Calendar in rosewood with tremolos, silver applications, lateral operation for adjustment. Metal: Silver and Wood. Origin: Portuguese. Brand: boar II Title. Weight: 321....
Category
19th Century European Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver
$375 Sale Price
50% Off
Silver doorbell with relief capsule on the bell
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Silver table bell with relief capsule and circular base. Metal: Silver. Origin: Portuguese. Brand: javali II Title. Weight: 317.28 grams. Dimensions: 9x11.5cm. Content: ...
Category
19th Century European Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver
$1,000 Sale Price
50% Off
Silver table bell with reliefs and cutouts
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Silver table bell with reliefs and cutouts. Metal: Silver. Origin: Portuguese. Brand: javali II Title. Weight: 264.18 grams. Dimensions: 9.7cmx9.3cm. Content: 833/1000. ...
Category
19th Century European Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver
$875 Sale Price
50% Off
Silver opening bell with mosaic reliefs on three half-ball feet
Located in Porto, PT
Description: Silver opening table bell with relief mosaic applications and resting on three half-ball shaped feet. Metal: Silver. Origin: French. Brand: Boar's Head. Weight: 166.93 g...
Category
19th Century European Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver
$1,250 Sale Price
50% Off
Large Carl Auböck Model #5072
Chain
Polished Brass Paperweight
Located in Glendale, CA
Carl Aubo¨ck Model #5072 'Chain' polished brass paperweight. Executed in brass-plated cast iron and designed in the 1950s, this incredibly clean and refined Viennese paperweight is h...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Austrian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Iron, Brass
Crystal Inkwells and Pen Trays Desk Set by Jacques Adnet and Baccarat, France
Located in North Miami, FL
Early 20th century Art Déco crystal desk set of inkwells and pen Trays by Jacques Adnet manufactured by Baccarat, France
By: Jacques Adnet, Baccarat
Material: glass, crystal
Techniq...
Category
Early 20th Century French Art Deco Desk Accessories
Materials
Crystal
19th Century Italian Micro Mosaic Grand Tour Paperweight The Doves Of Pliny
Located in Norwich, GB
19th Century Italian micro mosaic grand tour paperweight - The Doves of Pliny. Rome - Circa 1870.
Cartouche shaped black slate ground, inset ...
Category
19th Century Italian Grand Tour Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Slate
19th Century French Black Painted and Gilt Wrought Iron Book Binding Press
Located in Dallas, TX
This antique paper binding press was forged in France, circa 1860. The large Classic "Presse a Relier" made of solid iron is rectangular in shape and features two sides connected to ...
Category
Mid-19th Century French Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Iron
Good Quality Arts
Crafts Table Top Bookcase Made from 1/4 Sawn Oak
Located in London, GB
A good quality Arts & Crafts tabletop bookcase made from 1/4 sawn oak with through pegged joints. Perfect for CDs or DVDs.
Measures: Height 14 1/2 i...
Category
Early 1900s English Arts and Crafts Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Oak
French Champlevé Enamel Inkwell, Napoleon III, 19th Century, Holiday Gift Idea
Located in Lisbon, PT
A French Champlevé enamel inkwell from the 19th century, created in the opulent Napoleon III style.
Crafted from gilded bronze with finely detailed polychrome enamel in shades of t...
Category
19th Century French Napoleon III Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass, Bronze, Enamel
$1,329 Sale Price
20% Off
Wooden Christmas Tree Set – Cedar, Medium Size
Located in Orlando, FL
The minimal modern handcrafted tree set is designed to bring a natural and aesthetic atmosphere to your holiday theme. These solid cedar decorative Christmas objects...
Category
2010s Turkish Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Wood, Cedar
Tiffany Studios New York Pine Needle Bronze Doré and Favrile Slag Glass Inkwell
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous Arts & Crafts or Art Deco period gilt bronze and favrile slag glass "Pine Needle" pattern inkwell
By Tiffany Studios (signed to the underside)
New York, USA, Early 20th ...
Category
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Dutch 1840s Ebonized Wood Jardinière with Brass Liner and Turned Spindles
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Dutch ebonized wood jardinière from the mid 19th century, with brass liner, turned spindles and ball feet. Born in the Netherlands during the first half of the 19th century, this c...
Category
Mid-19th Century Dutch Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
1970s Pair of Vintage Lucite Hourglass Sculpture Style of Charles Hollis Jones
Located in Hyattsville, MD
Fun pair of functional sculptural accents.
Measures: LG - 4 1/8 x 4 1/8 x 9 1/8 in.
MD - 3 1/8 x 3 1/8 x 6 7/8 in.
Category
1970s American Hollywood Regency Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Acrylic
$2,400 Sale Price / set
20% Off
Swedish Bakelite Table Phone
Located in Vienna, AT
Bakelite table phone from the early 1950s.
Category
1950s Swedish Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Steel
Brass Face Mask Sculpture Hagenauer Style Black Stand Vintage
By Balos
Located in North Miami, FL
This arresting vintage tall polished brass face sculpture has innuendos of partial tribal design meets Hagenauer meets modern. It is from the 70's...
Category
1970s American Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass, Iron
The Peoples of North America, the Japanese Americans
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
The peoples of North America, the Japanese Americans.
Discusses the history, culture, and religion of the Japanese, factors encouraging their emigra...
Category
20th Century American Japonisme Desk Accessories
Materials
Paper
Victorian Glass and Sterling Silver Match Striker / Paperweight
Located in Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne
An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Victorian English sterling silver and glass match striker; an addition to our ornamental collection.
This exceptional antique silver and glass match striker has a globular form.
The surface of the glass body is embellished with a serrated texture which composes a match striker.
The ornamentation to the glass body is segmented with plain subtly concave vertical flutes.
The upper portion of this antique glass match striker...
Category
1890s English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Sterling Silver
World War II Munition Trench Art Brass and Coin Ashtray
Located in San Diego, CA
A unique military munition trench art, solid brass with coin slots ashtray, circa 1930s. The piece is in great vintage condition and measures 4.25"D x 3.75"H. The shell, which I bel...
Category
Early 20th Century American Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Cast gilt brass paper clip in the form of a snipe - Circa 1900
Located in Linkebeek, BE
Wear consistent with age and use.
Cast gilt brass paper clip in the form of a snipe - Circa 1900
Paper Clip - Decoration - Desk
19th century gilt brass paper clip in the form of a sn...
Category
20th Century British Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal
Early Staffordshire Greyhound Inkwell
Located in New York, NY
Early and original inkwell or quill pen holder in the form of a seated greyhound by Staffordshire. England, circa 1860.
Features a finely execu...
Category
19th Century English Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Pottery
Vintage Antonio Grediaga Kieff Bronze Abstract Sculpture
Located in North Miami, FL
This sensual and amazing small edition bronze sculpture is by the noted and prolific Canadian sculptor: Antonio Grediaga Kieff. It is abstract and ch...
Category
1980s Canadian Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Wooden Christmas Tree Set FIR – Cedar
Located in Orlando, FL
The natural cedar minimalist Christmas trees are unique decorative pieces that blend the natural beauty of the fir tree with a modern design. This luxurious handcrafted solid cedar t...
Category
2010s Turkish Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Wood, Cedar
19th Century Gilt Bronze Eagle Fragment on White Marble Stand, Italy
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Italian gilt bronze sculpture of an eagle on a rectangular white Carrera piece of marble. The high quality of the gilt work and the early age makes the eagl...
Category
1810s Italian Neoclassical Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Carrara Marble, Bronze
$340 Sale Price
20% Off
Antique French Animalier Bronze Marble Greyhound Sculpture Desk Paperweight 1900
Located in Portland, OR
A very handsome antique French Animalier bronze greyhound sculpture, paperweight, circa 1900.
The bronze in the style of Emmanuel Fremiet, mad...
Category
Early 1900s French Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Marble, Bronze
Lladró Face 2 Face - Hummingbird Figurine
By Lladro
Located in New York City, NY
Handmade porcelain creation inspired by a Hummingbird, belonging to Face 2 Face collection. Hummingbird belongs to Face 2 Face collection featuring three birds that combine synthetiz...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Desk Accessories
Materials
Porcelain
$950 / item
Antique Specimen Agate and Quartz Seal
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Specimen agate and quartz seal, of large and substianal size, with beautiful veining and a quartz "nugget" complete with an blank one-inch "seal", not e...
Category
19th Century European Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Agate, Quartz
$589 Sale Price
34% Off
Tiffany Studios New York Art Deco Greek Key Bronze Doré Pen Tray Desk Accessory
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous Art Deco bronze doré pen tray featuring a Greek key design
By Tiffany Studios
New York, USA, Early 20th Century
Measures: 9.63"W x 3.25"D x 0.38"H
Very good original vintage condition, with beautiful patina from age.
Matching desk...
Category
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Murano Smoky Photo Frame by Barovier e Toso - 4 Available
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Vintage picture frame with hand blown clear and smoky Murano "Torciglione" glass border / Designed by Barovier e Toso circa 1960's / Original mark on frame / Made in Italy
Measures:...
Category
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
$1,399 Sale Price / item
30% Off
Hagenauer Bronze
Wood Sculpture Dancer Wiener Werkstatte, Josephine Baker
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
Hagenauer Bronze & Wooden Dress Sculpture Dancer Wiener Werkstatte, Josephine Baker.
Very rare Art Deco 1920´s Josephine Baker dancer sculpture. Silvered bronze and black polished wo...
Category
Early 20th Century Austrian Art Deco Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Post-Modern Polished Brass Double Letter Tray "Emphasis 6000" by Eldon
Located in San Diego, CA
Post-modern polished brass double letter tray "Emphasis 6000" by Eldon, circa 1980s. The tray is in good vintage condition and measures 11"W x 16.5"...
Category
Late 20th Century American Post-Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
$240 Sale Price
20% Off
Rare Pair of Georgian Dresser Stools
Located in Greenwich, CT
Very fine and rare pair of George II period mahogany dresser stools, the single board tops of dense mahogany with thumb molded edge over scalloped trestle ends with boarded sides.
V...
Category
1750s Great Britain (UK) George II Antique Desk Accessories
$2,650 / set
Tommi Parzinger for Hart Associates Nickel
Taupe Enamel Magazine Rack, 1950
s
Located in Bainbridge, NY
Hart Associates, Tommi Parzinger attributed Magazine Stand, Book Stand. Folder Stand. Plants. Repurpose. Featuring a sturdy rectangular two part form with curved Nickel plated Brass ...
Category
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass, Nickel
Antique Inkwell, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Silverplated
Located in Greven, DE
Beautiful silver inkwell with purple ornaments.
Nice authentic condition.
Art Nouveau.
Category
Early 1900s Unknown Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Metallic Thread
Vintage 20th Century British Solid Silver Novelty Globe Shaped Writing Sander
Located in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Vintage 20th Century English solid silver novelty shape sander, crafted in the form of a globe, featuring a weighted base for stability on the office table. Hand-made with raised and...
Category
20th Century British Other Desk Accessories
Materials
Silver
Contemporary Handmade Aquamarine Crystal Horizontal Photo Frame by Ghirò Studio
By Ghirò Studio
Located in Pieve Emanuele, Milano
2021 Collection of picture frames by Ghirò Studio.
Picture frame of excellent workmanship and artistic quality.
The rounded edges give harmony and el...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass
English Brass Two-Compartment Letter Holder with Neoclassical Decorations
Located in Queens, NY
English Victorian brass letter holder featuring two compartments separated by highly decorative cast brass dividers with acorn finials and impressed domes,
Condition: Good; Wear con...
Category
20th Century British Victorian Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
Art Nouveau gilt bronze letter opener, France, circa 1910 E. bernadaud
Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Art Nouveau gilt bronze letter opener, France, circa 1910 – attributed to E. Bernaud
Description:
Elegant and refined letter opener from the Art Nouveau period, made in France aroun...
Category
1910s French Art Nouveau Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Bohemian Moser Art Deco Oroplastic Purple Glass Vase, 1920
Located in Worcester Park, GB
Stunning Art Deco signed Moser purple Oroplastic vase in the shape of a wine glass (- a rare shape -the glass is too thick to be a drinking vessel). The o...
Category
1920s Czech Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Art Glass
Vintage Clear Art Glass Bird Penguin Paperweight Figurine With Bubbles
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Vintage Clear Art Glass Bird Penguin Paperweight Figurine With Bubbles.
Clear Controlled Bubble Standing Penguin Bird Animal Art Glass Figurine Paperweight.
Collectible Blown Clear G...
Category
Late 20th Century Unknown Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Art Glass
Tiffany Studios New York Zodiac Bronze Doré Pen Tray
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous antique gilt bronze pen tray featuring Zodiac designs
By Tiffany Studios (signed to the underside)
New York, USA, Early 20th Century
Measures: 10"W x 3.25"D x 0.38"H
G...
Category
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Rare German Art Deco Desk Set, 1940
s, Set of 4
Located in Lisboa, PT
This rare desk set was designed and produced in Germany, during the 1940's. It consists on a knives holder, with three knives, a letter holder, an ashtra...
Category
1940s German Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
$951 Sale Price / set
20% Off
1950
s Vintage Stationery Collection
Located in Hook, Hampshire
1950’s Vintage Stationery Collection.
The set comprises six items as photographed. Sold as decorative items only
Workshop Report:
Our workshop team inspect every product and carry ...
Category
1950s English Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Paper
19th Century Bookstand
Located in High Point, NC
19th century bookstand from England made from rosewood. The handles are hand-turned along with the spindles, which terminate on the ends with lovely lyre inspired shaped pieces. The ...
Category
Mid-19th Century English Victorian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Rosewood
$1,295
Mid-Century Modern Lucite Tissue Box in the Style of Charles Hollis Jones
Located in San Diego, CA
Mid-Century Modern Lucite tissue box in the style of Charles Hollis Jones, circa 1970s. The piece is very heavy and substantial with a horizontal gro...
Category
Mid-20th Century North American Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Lucite
$380 Sale Price
20% Off
French Leather Desk Set by Le Tanneur
By Le Tanneur
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Fantastic 6 piece French leather desk set by Le Tanneur. All pieces wrapped in black leather with white contrast stitching. Desk set features a paper holder, pen holder, ink blotter,...
Category
1960s French Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Chrome
$2,500 / set
Vintage Murano Art Glass Abstract Design Paper Weight, 1993
By Murano 5
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Gorgeous Vintage Art Glass 1993 abstract design paperweight.
Beautiful handcrafted pink and white swirl Murano art glass paperweight.
...
Category
Late 20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Art Glass, Murano Glass
L. M. Ericsson BC 2000 Telephone Made in 1900 Designed as Old Times Book Press
Located in Sweden, SE
Very rare collectible desktop telephone L. M. Ericsson model BC 2000 (Old Catalogue No. 400) for battery ringing. Exclusive and unusual design in the form of an old times book press. Framework of polished walnut. Micro-telephone RE 2002 (Old Cat. No. 520) with cord RS 7021 (Old Cat. No. 2252) and switch in the handle resting on a cradle switch, flexible cable, RS 9000 (Old Cat. No. 2084) and terminal block within Ericssons serial number that dates device on 1900 Stockholm, Sweden.
Size app.: 22.5 cm (roughly 8.9 in) high, 27 cm (roughly 10.6 in) wide, 11 cm (roughly 4.3 in) deep. Very good condition, age and usage wear plus tiny losses. Please study high-res pictures for cosmetic condition! In person actual item may appear darker or brighter than in our pictures, strictly depending on sufficient light in your environment. Weight of app. 2 kg it is going to measure some 3 kg packed for shipment.
Lars Magnus Ericsson began his association with telephones in his youth as an instrument maker. He worked for a firm which made telegraph equipment for the Swedish government agency Telegrafverket. In 1876, aged 30, he started a telegraph repair shop with help from his friend Carl Johan Andersson. The shop was in central Stockholm (No. 15 on Drottninggatan, the principal shopping street) and repaired foreign-made telephones. In 1878 Ericsson began making and selling his own telephone equipment. His phones were not technically innovative, as most of the inventions had already been made in the US. In 1878, he made an agreement to supply telephones and switchboards to Sweden's first telecom operating company, Stockholms Allmänna Telefonaktiebolag. Also in 1878, local telephone importer Numa Peterson hired Ericsson to adjust some telephones from the Bell Telephone Company. This inspired him to buy a number of Siemens telephones...
Category
1890s Art Nouveau Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Metal, Brass
Murano Green and Clear Italian Art Glass Flower Paperweight
Located in Moreno Valley, CA
Murano Green and Clear Italian Art Glass Flower Paperweight.
Italian Mid-century Murano Blown Art Glass Paperweight with Floral Motif.
Beautif...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Crystal
Fornasetti paper weight with NATO phonetic alphabet with pen rest
Located in London, GB
Rare Fornasetti porcelain paperweight with pen holder.
With the phonetic alphabet
o as in Oscar
P as in Papa
Q as in Quebeck etc..
Category
1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Porcelain
Tiffany Studios New York "Zodiac" Bronze Pen Tray
Located in South Bend, IN
A gorgeous antique Art Deco period bronze pen tray featuring Zodiac designs
By Tiffany Studios
New York, USA, Early 20th Century
Measures: 10.13"W x 3.25"D x 0.38"H
Good ...
Category
Early 20th Century American Art Deco Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Murano Art Glass Millefiori Paperweight Sculpture Knob Top Multicolor Murrines
Located in Palm Beach, FL
A fantastic Murano Art Glass paperweight with multicolored Millefiori murrines. This art glass paperweight is designed with a sculptural knob top in clear frosted matte glass resembl...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass, Murrine
Antique Georgian Brass Mounted Double Inkwell Stand With Two Hand-Blown Inkwells
Located in Reading, Berkshire
Rare Set of 19th Century Antique Georgian Mahogany
Brass Mounted Double Inkwell Stand With Original Handblown Glass Inkwells Brass Topped Inkwells...
Category
Early 19th Century British Georgian Antique Desk Accessories
Materials
Brass
$1,686 Sale Price / set
30% Off
Desk Top Letter Box / Holder
Located in Fulton, CA
English oak letter box with fitted interior and lid. Nice desk accessory or storage for special items.
Category
Early 20th Century English Jacobean Desk Accessories
Materials
Oak
$195 Sale Price
48% Off
Italian Mid Century Modern Blown Glass Rooster by, Antonio Da Ros for Cenedese
Located in Englewood, NJ
An Italian Mid-Century Modern blown glass "Rooster" designed by, Antonio Da Ros for Cenedese. The rooster with applied red comb with clear body "sommerso" technique (layering of glass) with the center a black against a heavily cased clear background. The rooster is cased in multiple layers of clear glass giving it a depth of dimension and weight. The rooster is unsigned. circa 1960s'
Measurements:
height: 13.25 in in. x width: 7.25 in. x depth: 4.25 in.
Biography:
Antonio Da Ros (Italian; 1936-2012) graduated in 1957 from the Istituto Superiore di Arti Decorative ‘CARMINI’ in Venice.
In 1958, he started working in the Gino Cenedese glass factory which later became Ars Cenedese Murano...
Category
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Art Glass
Contemporary Set of Two Handmade Aquamarine Crystal Photo Frames by Ghirò Studio
By Ghirò Studio
Located in Pieve Emanuele, Milano
2021 Collection of picture frames by Ghirò Studio.
Set of two photo frames, one horizontal and one vertical, of excellent workmanship and artistic quality.
The rounded edges give har...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Desk Accessories
Materials
Glass
Art Nouveau Spider Lamp by Unknown European Artist
Located in Palm Beach, FL
European spider lamp, circa 1925.
Note: We highly recommend shipping through 1stDibs for its cost effectiveness, full insurance coverage, and reliable handling. While standard parce...
Category
1920s Unknown Art Nouveau Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Bronze
Two 20th Century Art Deco Hermes Paris Desk Set Pieces circa 1930-1935
By Hermès
Located in London, GB
Two beautiful and desirable vintage desk pieces by the most famous luxury brand, the crocodile skin still has its original sheen and is in very good condition.
Both pieces have st...
Category
1930s French Art Deco Vintage Desk Accessories
Materials
Crocodile
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.