Ceramic Desk Accessories

French Art Nouveau Inkwell by Pierre-Adrien Dalpayrat, France, circa 1890. A rare and exquisite Art Nouveau inkwell by renowned French ceramist Pierre-Adrien Dalpayrat (1844–1910). This finely crafted piece showcases Dalpayrat’s signature red copper-glazed stoneware, especially rich and luminous near the base. Elegantly mounted in pewter, the design exemplifies the organic flow and refined detail of the Art Nouveau period. Dimensions: Height: 3.54 in. (9 cm) Diameter: 5.12 in. (13 cm) Materials: Stoneware with pewter mount Condition: Excellent+++++, museum-quality preservation Markings: Incised signature "Dalpayrat 1500" under the base (see photo) This inkwell is a collectible example of French ceramic art at the turn of the century—perfect for collectors of Art Nouveau, 19th-century French ceramics, or the works of Dalpayrat. Adrien Dalpayrat (1844–1910): A Pioneer of French Ceramic Innovation Adrien Dalpayrat was a French ceramicist and researcher who played a key role in the revival of stoneware at the end of the 19th century. Born in 1844 in Limoges, Dalpayrat studied drawing and porcelain painting in his hometown before beginning his professional career at the Jules Vieillard faience factory in Bordeaux. There, he met his wife, Marie Tallerie, with whom he had two sons—Albert and Adolphe—who would later become his primary collaborators. Throughout his early career, Dalpayrat worked for several major ceramic manufacturers, including Ashwin (Valentine), Fouquet (Toulouse), François Blanc (Monaco), and Léon Sazerat (Limoges). In 1889, seeking greater independence, he moved to the Paris region and established his own studio in Bourg-la-Reine. Collaborations and Artistic Evolution Dalpayrat’s creative vision expanded through his collaboration with sculptor Alphonse Voisin-Delacroix. Together, they explored neo-Gothic and Palissy-inspired motifs, creating a remarkable ceramic bestiary. Following Voisin-Delacroix’s death in 1893, Dalpayrat partnered with Adèle Lesbros, which marked a shift in his work toward simpler, more refined vase forms influenced by Japonism. Japanese art had been introduced to France during the 1867 Universal Exhibition, but it wasn’t until the 1878 Exhibition, particularly through the ceremonial stoneware used in the Japanese tea ceremony, that Japonism truly captivated French artists. This influence led Dalpayrat to create vessels with organic, vegetal, and animal-inspired forms. Technical Mastery: The Secrets of Copper Red Among all the ceramists of his time who sought to replicate the elusive Chinese “sang de boeuf” (oxblood) glaze, Adrien Dalpayrat was arguably the most successful. He didn’t simply reproduce the legendary copper red—he transformed it. By manipulating glaze thickness, firing temperature, atmosphere, and copper oxide content, he developed a unique palette of flamed and mottled red glazes that became his signature: the renowned Dalpayrat red. He further enriched his pieces by introducing streaks and inclusions of turquoise, blue, green, and yellow—freeing the red glaze from monochromy and turning it into an expressive, living surface. His work pushed stoneware beyond function into expressive art, merging form and glaze in bold, sculptural harmony. Beyond Ceramics: Bronze Mounts and Architectural Works Dalpayrat also collaborated with renowned jewelers such as Ernest Cardeilhac and Keller to produce pieces mounted in gilt bronze, blending ceramics with decorative arts at the highest level. In an effort to make his work more accessible, he opened a second faience workshop focused on simpler, more affordable pieces inspired by Nevers and Rouen ware. However, this venture faced financial difficulties and closed by 1900. The main family studio followed in 1906 as the popularity of Art Nouveau declined. Dalpayrat then returned to Limoges, devoting his final years to painting and drawing until his death in 1910. Legacy and Recognition Despite financial struggles during his lifetime, Dalpayrat’s ceramics were widely acclaimed at major international exhibitions: Bronze medal, World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago (1893) Silver medal, Antwerp International Exhibition (1894) Gold medal, Exposition Universelle, Paris (1900) Today, his work is part of prestigious museum collections. In 2020, the Petit Palais in Paris acquired a large bird motif vase created in collaboration with Voisin-Delacroix, now on view in Room...

1960s Original astonishing porcelain catchall / vide-poche "La Gioconda" by Piero Fornasetti. Heavy porcelain construction for use as beautiful desk accessories. Marked on the bottom...

The Danish municipality of Frederiksberg coat of arms, adorns this elegant toothpick holder by Royal Copenhagen, Denmark White porcelain with gilded decoration Circa 1967 Stamped on ...

Jean Gerbino for Vallauris, France, ceramic glazed mosaic lidded pot Sage green, terracotta and cream shades, beautifully crafted Circa 1960's Signed Gerbino to base Height 2.5 inch...

A beautiful English Wedgwood Jasperware sage green and white round jewelry dish with neoclassical design, circa 20th century, 1979, England...

1950s Fornasetti original astonishing porcelain vide poche/catchall "Sonate- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart" by Piero Fornasetti . Heavy porcelain construction for use as beautiful desk acc...

Handcrafted Christmas ceramic houses for candle light deco in shape of a village around 1970s The church dimensions are: Hight: 25cm Wide: 11cm De...

A beautiful special edition English Wedgwood black basalt Jasperware small oval box with gold scallop seashell design, circa late-20th century, 1980s, England. Piece is matte black stoneware with gold scallop seashell design on top lid. The box was created in the mid-1980s as a special edition for members of the Wedgwood Collectors Society, marked on inside lid area in gold (as shown.) Markers mark 'Wedgwood', 'Made in England', on bottom as shown. Piece can neatly hold a cocktail ring or other small items, etc., or just be beautiful as a standalone piece decorative object. English wood box...

Superb bijou vase by Wilhelm Kage for Gustavsberg, Sweden from the Argenta collection. Decorated with a stylised fish of applied silver on mottled green stoneware. Circa 1930's Ba...

A superb 18th Century Dutch Delft Blue and White Ink Well and Desk Stand attributed to Anthoni Pennis, beautifully decorated in the chinoiserie style. Marked to the base with the Blu...

Nice 1980s Gucci - Italy designed leather desk accessories set, includes pen holder, note paper holder and small tray. The leather pieces have the classic green and red stripe, with ...

A rare and beautiful paperweight with amazing surrealist eyeball decor. Designed and produced by Piero Fornasetti in Milano, Italy. Early production, 1950s. Great original conditio...

Tiffany Co. porcelain round trinket box. Tiffany Co. porcelain round map box designed for Tauck World, Made In France. The porcelain lid cover ...

The Shiva vase is sculpture and vase. It is a symbol of Ettore Sottsass and an icon. Sottsass designed the Shiva Vase when travelling to Barcelona for love in 1973. He encountered m...

Gorgeous pair of iconic Tiffany "box with bow" crystal and porcelain trinket boxes by Tiffany & Co. circa 1990's. The pair are in very good vintage condition with no chips or cracks...

Exceptional antique Inkwell with rich bronze ornaments and three porcelain vessels. The ink jars are painted in a beautiful rich green and embellished with gold colour. France, 1839. On the lid is written "ENCRIER BOUQUET" "MEDAILLE D´ARGENT...

Ashtray with ceramic and brass lighter by Paolo Traversi. 1970s, working Paolo Traversi is a designer and manufacturer of interior furnishings known throughout the world. The curren...

An English Wedgwood Jasperware black basalt and white stoneware rectangular jewelry dish with Neoclassical design, 1963, England. Piece is a matte bla...

Elegant ceramic box made in Italy, circa 1970s. Black and white color theme with white flowers. Great condition. Perfect stash box or tabletop object. Marked Made in Italy on underside.

Glaze ceramic box made in Italy by Raymor, circa 1960s. Stunning bright yellow glaze covers the entire exterior of the box as well as the inside of the box. Great vintage condition. ...

Beautiful vintage plaster ceramic box made in Italy. Incredibly sculpted piece in a neoclassical style, the piece features hellenic images of priestesses and noblemen in gilt . The ...

A beautiful English Wedgwood Jasperware sage green and white round jewelry dish with neoclassical design, circa 20th century, 1979, England...

Italian craftsmanship pocket tray decorated with 4 different horses gold and blue border. Entirely made in Florence by our master craftsmen. Artecornici design produces hand colo...

A beautiful Herend porcelain salmon orange roses with green leaves and vine/stem decorative object, 2001, Hungary. Marker's mark on underside as shown in last image. Dimensions: 6" x...

A white porcelain owl bird, Mid-Century Modern period, by Royal Dux Bohemia, circa mid-20th century, Czechoslovakia. With makers' mark on underside as shown i...

1950s Astonishing rare porcelain paperweight designed by Piero Fornasetti with butterflies. Handmade.Made in Italy. Heavy ceramic construction for use as beautiful desk accessories. ...

A super little vase glazed with an intriguing sea green lustre and hand decorated with gilt decoration by Josef Ekberg for Gustavsberg, Sweden Wonderful Ekberg craftsmanship Signed a...

Organic in form, abstract ceramic vide poche by Gabriel Fourmaintraux, France Strong pallet of red, yellow and orange enamels contrast wonderfully with the exterior matt black glaze ...

A striking vintage black ceramic pottery female face bust sculpture, circa 20th century. A great piece for a column pedestal as shown, shelf, mantle, cocktai...

The underside of the cherry-blossom decorated palanquin forming the shade over the court figure with phoenix resting on the gilt-bronze mounted carton Pierre panel.

Small Postmodern Piggy Penny Bank by Ambrogio Pozzi & Sieger Design for Ritzenhoff, in Very Good conditions. Designed 1990 to 1999 This piece has an attribution mark. Additional inf...

2x Mid-Century Modern massive brass bull bookends, 1960s

Vintage Porcelain Floral Desk Set by Neiman Marcus with Letter Opener and Tray. A very nice two-piece brass and porcelain desk set, circa 1970s. The set is...

Pair Wedgwood blue and white Jasperware desk accessories. Beautiful blue grey bisque beaker/bud-vase with cream-ivory neoclassical bas relief, ...

A rare and unusual Hungarian art nouveau art pottery desk stand mounted with deer and decorated in eosin iridescent green glazes dating from around 1900. The desk stand has a boat sh...

A relatively large white ceramic face or 'faces' vase. This sculpture vase can make a great statement piece in a living room, library, powder room, ...

A set of 3 beautiful porcelain handle Chinese calligraphy brushes. The handles with hand painted round and oval porcelain balls of longevity motifs and basketweave, in classic, timeless blue and white...

A big ceramic Bayer Aspirin from a store called Think Big in SoHo, NYC in the 1980s . Fun. Decorative piece for display, art in a bathroom or a paperweig...

A stunning Wedgwood vase with a glaze reminiscent of fine gossamer. The sky blue base ground has veil of golden brown mottling, adorned with a flutter of gilded butterflies...

Vintage Italian Mid-Century porcelain sculpture of a leopard, mid-stride, with open mouth. Italian hand-painted glazed porcelain standing leopard. M...

A mid-20th century hand-painted porcelain desk accessories set by Meissen Porzellan, a prominent German porcelain manufacture. Ming Dragon pattern in...

This lovely French “service fumeur en faïence”, or earthenware smoking service, has five pieces: a tray, and four pots of various sizes. Although every smoking set is unique, we presume theses pots are a tobacco pot to store the dried leaves, an ash receptacle, a pot for holding papers to hand roll cigarettes and/or cigars and a pot for keeping matches. Our set was produced in Nevers, France in the 19th century by Montagnon, the oldest earthenware factory in France. Originally called manufacture du Bout du monde (“End of the World factory”), the factory was founded in 1648. By 1875, the factory had fallen on hard times and was bought by Antoine Montagnon. Within the five years, it was the only faïencerie left in Nevers. Montagnon was successful for over a century but eventually ceased operations in 2015. The production date of our smoking service set is from the late 1800s. Glazed earthenware was introduced from Italy to Nevers in the mid-16th century. The town already had existing porcelain factories and the area was flush with clay deposits that could be used in pottery. This allowed the influx of Italian potters in Nevers to begin producing Faience pieces. For the next 300 years, Nevers was the center for French Faience manufacturing. This smoking set has been decorated with painted birds, rinceaux of flowers and ornamental motifs. The blue background color is called Persian blue, and was extensively used as a ground color on Nevers Faience...

Stunning French Lavish Gilt Porcelain Ink Stand of Museum Quality and generous proportions, made by renowned French porcelain maker Jacob Petit. Last quarter of the Nineteenth Centur...

Glaze ceramic box made in Italy, circa 1970s. Slime green glaze along the top with an orange ring around the edge of the lid. Base is painted a matte brown. Green glaze covers the in...

Painted porcelain and hand carved, gold leaf wood frame, signed "Épanouissement", Vienna, circa 1890.

Royal Doulton The Mendicant, Moroccan figurine of a man wearing a turban and playing a tamburine. High glazed, finely modeled bone china with exquisi...

Small famille verte porcelain inkwell decorated with enameled flowerpots, foliage, and stylized rinceaux. The inkwell is set on a gilt bronze b...

Vintage 1960's pen holder in the form of a Dalmatian made in the Staffordshire region of England. The Dalmatian is recumbent, with front legs crossed in an elegant fashion, and sitt...

Sporting a 'Dutch Cut' to his coat, this adorable ceramic poodle stands tall and proud Collar and feet are gilded, the glaze is a delicious toffee caramel colour and the eyes are pin...

A German white porcelain jewelry dish with whimsical design by designer Raymond Peynet for Rosenthal Studio-Line, Midcentury Modern period, circa mid-20th century, Germany. Dish show...

Exquisite ruby Ordinary lustre york cup by Daisy Makeig Jones for Wedgwood, England. The interior of this delightful piece has a vibrantly coloured butterfly on a pale green mother of pearl background, with gilded interior patterning. Rich ruby red lustre mottled glaze, animated gilded butterflies...

A beautiful English Wedgwood Jasperware sage green and white round jewelry dish with neoclassical design, circa 20th century, 1979, England...

Unusual Argenta stoneware footed dish with applied silver swordfish central motif Tied silver banding to rim Designed by Wilhelm Kage for the Argenta series for Gustavsberg, Sweden...

A breathtaking example of French artistry, this Antique Sèvres Bleu Céleste Porcelain Jewelry Casket epitomizes opulence and refinement. Crafted in...

Rhinoceros beetle in white porcelain, from the awesome insect collection. The insects that made a successful debut decorated in intense colors are no...

A beautiful and fine pair of white and gold porcelain horse bookends or decorative objects, circa late-20th century, Portugal. Pieces have beautiful detail in mane, snout, and ears, ...

Geometry set of 3 pieces made of ceramic, with high quality stoneware in the Galician town of Buño, known throughout the world for its quality in the pottery technique. The shapes in...

Wonderful to find a top-notch, highly decorative and most unusual desk set, French in origin dating to around 1860. Made from nutty coloured burl Walnut, all three pieces are mounted with the most wonderful polished brass mounts all inset with fabulous hand painted porcelain plaques. Our restorer had to remove all the mounts to professionally clean and on doing so found the name of the figure depicted on the plaques, "Ninon De Lenclos" a French Author, Courtesan, Freethinker and Patron of the Arts. The set is made up of a Stationery box with brass swing handles each side; the box complete with a working tasselled key. The box opens to reveal the wonderful original gilded leather lining with the original paper lining the sides of the dividers. The lock and hinges are beautifully engraved, a true sign of quality. The next piece is a hefty large oval Walnut Inkstand with a large glass inkwell...

Erik Nielsen for Royal Copenhagen underglazed porcelain card tray dish with lobster and shoal. A superb example of Nielsen's creativity circa 1962 Sig...

Antique French Rococo style gilt pewter and porcelain inkwell from circa 1900, marked "Chatelain". This beautifully shaped gilt pewter inkwell is adorned with flowers in the center ...