ticketsMember | Make a donation

Inkwell with a rampant lion

late 17th century
Not on view
The three masks on the body of this inkwell, executed in an international Baroque idiom, could have been produced almost anywhere in northern Europe. A hole in the lion’s front right paw would have secured a quill. The inscription has the character of a vendor’s name, and there is something of an English feel to it. An example of this type is in the Museo Civico dell’Età Cristiana, Brescia, and another, listed with the New York dealer Anthony Blumka in 2018, has two masks.[1] Where the central mask appears on our inkwell, Blumka’s bears a separately cast, concave, undeciphered coat of arms.
-JDD

Footnotes
(For key to shortened references see bibliography in Allen, Italian Renaissance and Baroque Bronzes in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2022.)


1. Nicodemi 1920, p. 473 (as Venetian, 16th century); Lion inkwell, Italy (Tuscany), ca. 1600, bronze, at http://www.blumkagallery.com/metalwork-1.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Inkwell with a rampant lion
  • Date: late 17th century
  • Culture: probably northern European
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Dimensions: Height (with base): 4 5/16 in. (11 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture-Bronze
  • Credit Line: The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931
  • Object Number: 32.100.163
  • Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Henri IV, Marie de Médicis and the Dauphin, Guillaume Dupré French, Bronze, French, Paris
Henri IV, Marie de Médicis and the Dauphin
Guillaume Dupré
1605
Anne of Austria, Queen Mother of France (1601–66) and her son Louis XIV (1638–1715), Jean Varin French, Bronze, brown patina, French, Paris
Anne of Austria, Queen Mother of France (1601–66) and her son Louis XIV (1638–1715)
Jean Varin
1645
Winter, Jean Antoine Houdon French, Bronze, French, Paris
Winter
Jean Antoine Houdon
1787
Saint Ignatius Loyola with an angel holding a book, Francesco Bertos Italian, Bronze, Italian, Padua
Saint Ignatius Loyola with an angel holding a book
Francesco Bertos
ca. 1722
Pluto and Cerberus, Giovanni Battista di Jacopo Italian, Bronze, French
Pluto and Cerberus
Giovanni Battista di Jacopo
early 17th century

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.