As of today, Aksakov’s noble family is known first and foremost for its many talented authors it had gifted to Russian literature. Sergey Timofeevich Aksakov became famous as the author of documentary biographical works, “Notes” about fishing and hunting, as well as an erudite theater and literary critic. His children Konstantin, Ivan, Grigory and Vera Aksakovs, apart from their passionate commitment to Slavophilia, were also major writers. Due to this, an inkwell was an essential element of their house.
In the collection of the “Large sitting room” there is an inkwell made of transparent glass with a hole in the center. It is mounted on a black metal stand, which in turn has a pen of an unusual shape. An inkwell like this could be easily moved from place to place, which in the large and populated house of the Aksakovs was particularly valuable. This inkwell was made in the beginning of the 20th century, at the sunset of pen writing, a time when much more convenient piston ball pens would soon become popular.
The need for inkwells has first emerged with the emergence of ink pens. The oldest inkwell found so far was discovered during excavations of the ash buried ancient Roman town of Herculaneum, destroyed by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. It was a clay bowl, at the bottom of which was preserved a dark-colored sediment. It turned out, after a research, that it was residue of an ancient ink, confirming the archeologists’ discovery.
Over time, ink vessel manufacturing began to involve metal, horns or leather. The more familiar glass inkwells were first produced by the British. It was the British glass masters of the 17th century who managed to develop inkwells, equipped with a special cone funnel that prevented ink from escaping even if the vessel was tipped over. Around the same time, special outdoor inkwells with narrow necks started appearing, usually carried in a breast pocket.
Depending on country and age, inkwells were of different sizes and made of various materials: porcelain, metals, stone, polymers and others. For the richer households, craftsmen would create inkwells made of precious metals, lavishly decorated with gemstones, as well as painted and enameled.
In the collection of the “Large sitting room” there is an inkwell made of transparent glass with a hole in the center. It is mounted on a black metal stand, which in turn has a pen of an unusual shape. An inkwell like this could be easily moved from place to place, which in the large and populated house of the Aksakovs was particularly valuable. This inkwell was made in the beginning of the 20th century, at the sunset of pen writing, a time when much more convenient piston ball pens would soon become popular.
The need for inkwells has first emerged with the emergence of ink pens. The oldest inkwell found so far was discovered during excavations of the ash buried ancient Roman town of Herculaneum, destroyed by an eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. It was a clay bowl, at the bottom of which was preserved a dark-colored sediment. It turned out, after a research, that it was residue of an ancient ink, confirming the archeologists’ discovery.
Over time, ink vessel manufacturing began to involve metal, horns or leather. The more familiar glass inkwells were first produced by the British. It was the British glass masters of the 17th century who managed to develop inkwells, equipped with a special cone funnel that prevented ink from escaping even if the vessel was tipped over. Around the same time, special outdoor inkwells with narrow necks started appearing, usually carried in a breast pocket.
Depending on country and age, inkwells were of different sizes and made of various materials: porcelain, metals, stone, polymers and others. For the richer households, craftsmen would create inkwells made of precious metals, lavishly decorated with gemstones, as well as painted and enameled.
