Antique / vintage combined inkwell and pen holder

It is a pleasure to offer this antique inkwell and pen holder for your consideration. A truly curious item, in as much as there is no indication of maker or the writer / artist that it may be modelled on. We include it being a possible artist due to the strong suggestion that t may have been used with India ink by the look of the interior well and the base. The base has a ‘y’ shaped crack which shows up really black against the white glazed base which seems likely due to the dried ink. There is a familiar quality to the depicted person but research on the internet has failed to give a conclusive identity. There are two pen/brush holders high on the back of each arm and it seems that the ink would be stored and accessed through the hole in the top of the head. No indication of maker or country of origin. The white areas which show on the photographs are spots where the colour has faded or been rubbed away (tip of the nose and on the side of his hat) and apart from the aforementioned crack in the base, there is no damage to this intriguing piece. If you have any thoughts as to whom the sculpture represents, please feel free to advise - we would appreciate any help we can get on this. The pen holder/inkwell stands 3 ½” (89mm) tall, 2 3/8” (60mm) from front to back and 2 11/16” (69mm) wide.

As photographs form an important part of the description, happy to provide additional images if requested. Please also take the time to check out our eclectic range of items being offered.

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