Inkstand
Classification
metalwork
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Museum purchase through gift of various donors and from Eleanor G. Hewitt Fund
Accession Number
1938-88-1994
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Inkstand by Giuseppe Barberi (ca. 1810)** Crafted by the Italian artist and designer Giuseppe Barberi (1746–1809), this elegant inkstand exemplifies the refined metalwork traditions of early 19th-century Italy. Dated around 1810, shortly after Barberi's death, it likely emerged from his workshop or under his influential Neoclassical designs, which blended classical antiquity with functional beauty. Inkstands like this were essential desk accessories for writers and scholars, holding inkwells, pens, and sand shakers in an era before modern stationery. As a piece of metalwork, the inkstand h...