A RARE CHARLES II SILVER INKSTAND, MAKER'S MARK BP SCALLOP BELOW PROBABLY FOR BENEDICT PROSSER OF LONDON, CIRCA 1670
Lot Closed
October 21, 03:24 PM GMT
Estimate
10,000 - 20,000 USD
Lot Details
Description
A RARE CHARLES II SILVER INKSTAND, MAKER'S MARK BP SCALLOP BELOW PROBABLY FOR BENEDICT PROSSER OF LONDON, CIRCA 1670
the rectangular box with molded borders and raised on square pedestal feet, the cover engraved with arms between crossed plumes and with wrigglework rim, interior with four compartments and two removable square pots
marked inside base twice with maker's mark only and marked on base of each removable pot with maker's mark only
20 oz 15 dwt
647 g
length 6⅝ in.
16.8 cm
The arms are possibly those of Lee.
The form of this rectangular casket-form inkstand can be seen as early at 1610. The latter example with maker's mark BT between two staves in saltire has similar interior compartments to the present inkstand and is illustrated in Michael Clayton, The Collector's Dictionary of the Silver and Gold of Great Britain and North America, 1971, no. 305, pp. 156-7. Another rectangular inkstand engraved with arms between crossed plumes by John Ruslen, circa 1669 is also illustrated there, no. 307a, pp.156-7.
For more information on the BP maker's mark see David M. Mitchell, Silversmiths in Elizabethan and Stuart London, 2017, p. 248.