This inkwell from the Nautical Desk Set by Tiffany Studios, in rich green-brown patina, features decorative panels in low relief on each of the four flattened sides depicting various sailing ships, with a hinged lid in the form of a scallop shell. Each of the four corners is set with a diving fish.
The Nautical set was one of the most elaborate produced by Tiffany Studios, with each piece depicting “varied motifs of the sea,” often incorporating sculptural or highly detailed motifs in high and low relief. Period sales catalogues distributed by Tiffany Studios note that this set was “of unusual interest”
Tiffany Studios mainly produced this set in a patina noted for its “soft green tones” as described in Tiffany Desk Sets, a sales pamphlet produced by Tiffany Studios around 1910; the company noted that the set could also be finished in brown or gold patina.
Height: 3 inches (7.6 cm)
Width: 5 inches (12.7 cm)
Depth: 4 inches (10.2 cm)