Victorian Gilt Bronze Cobra Inkstand with Thermometer & Compass | Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins | Design Published 1850

Historial de procedencia y propiedad
Más Menos

Previously handled by Quinn’s Auction Galleries, Falls Church, Virginia, USA. Quinn’s Auction Galleries is a long-established auction house based in Falls Church, Virginia, known for handling fine art, antiques, decorative arts, estate collections, and historically significant objects. 

$1,500.00
$1,500.00
Envío calculado al finalizar la compra.
Customers rate us 5.0/5 based on 107 reviews.

This is a one-of-a-kind historical object. Once sold, this exact piece will not be restocked.
Questions before acquiring? Additional photographs, condition details, documentation, shipping information or a private viewing are available upon request.
Victorian gilt bronze cobra inkstand designed by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins in 1850, featuring a coiled serpent and scientific instruments.
360-degree video showing a Victorian gilt bronze cobra inkstand designed by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, featuring a coiled snake form, circular thermometer, compass, pocket-watch hook, pen holder, and detailed mid-19th-century decorative casting.
Antique Victorian cobra inkstand with detailed gilt bronze scales, expanded hood, and distinctive red inset eyes.
Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins bronze cobra desk accessory featuring an upright serpent surrounded by decorative rockwork and foliage.
Victorian gilt bronze cobra sculpture with intricately modelled serpent coils, ribbed underside, and naturalistic detailing.
Antique cobra inkstand featuring a circular Fahrenheit thermometer mounted above the sculptural bronze serpent.
Victorian scientific desk ornament with a curved glass thermometer, graduated temperature markings, and gilt metal circular frame.
Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins cobra inkstand featuring a suspension hook designed to accommodate a pocket watch.
Victorian bronze serpent inkstand with an inset compass displaying a decorative compass rose and directional markings beneath glass.
Antique gilt bronze cobra inkstand with integrated writing instrument openings and elaborate naturalistic foliage decoration.
Victorian cobra desk accessory with a hinged upper section revealing the interior compartment originally intended for ink.
Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins Victorian inkstand displaying cast inscriptions identifying the designer and publication date of 5 February 1850.
Antique Victorian bronze inkstand featuring engraved lettering along the casting and historical markings associated with Hawkins.
Mid-19th-century English cobra inkstand with aged gilt finish, naturally darkened bronze surfaces, and finely defined serpent scales.
Rare Victorian cobra inkstand incorporating a thermometer, compass, pocket watch suspension hook, and decorative bronze sculpture.
  • Victorian gilt bronze cobra inkstand designed by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins in 1850, featuring a coiled serpent and scientific instruments.
  • 360-degree video showing a Victorian gilt bronze cobra inkstand designed by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, featuring a coiled snake form, circular thermometer, compass, pocket-watch hook, pen holder, and detailed mid-19th-century decorative casting.
  • Antique Victorian cobra inkstand with detailed gilt bronze scales, expanded hood, and distinctive red inset eyes.
  • Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins bronze cobra desk accessory featuring an upright serpent surrounded by decorative rockwork and foliage.
  • Victorian gilt bronze cobra sculpture with intricately modelled serpent coils, ribbed underside, and naturalistic detailing.
  • Antique cobra inkstand featuring a circular Fahrenheit thermometer mounted above the sculptural bronze serpent.
  • Victorian scientific desk ornament with a curved glass thermometer, graduated temperature markings, and gilt metal circular frame.
  • Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins cobra inkstand featuring a suspension hook designed to accommodate a pocket watch.
  • Victorian bronze serpent inkstand with an inset compass displaying a decorative compass rose and directional markings beneath glass.
  • Antique gilt bronze cobra inkstand with integrated writing instrument openings and elaborate naturalistic foliage decoration.
  • Victorian cobra desk accessory with a hinged upper section revealing the interior compartment originally intended for ink.
  • Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins Victorian inkstand displaying cast inscriptions identifying the designer and publication date of 5 February 1850.
  • Antique Victorian bronze inkstand featuring engraved lettering along the casting and historical markings associated with Hawkins.
  • Mid-19th-century English cobra inkstand with aged gilt finish, naturally darkened bronze surfaces, and finely defined serpent scales.
  • Rare Victorian cobra inkstand incorporating a thermometer, compass, pocket watch suspension hook, and decorative bronze sculpture.
Victorian gilt bronze cobra inkstand designed by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins in 1850, featuring a coiled serpent and scientific instruments.
360-degree video showing a Victorian gilt bronze cobra inkstand designed by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, featuring a coiled snake form, circular thermometer, compass, pocket-watch hook, pen holder, and detailed mid-19th-century decorative casting.
Antique Victorian cobra inkstand with detailed gilt bronze scales, expanded hood, and distinctive red inset eyes.
Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins bronze cobra desk accessory featuring an upright serpent surrounded by decorative rockwork and foliage.
Victorian gilt bronze cobra sculpture with intricately modelled serpent coils, ribbed underside, and naturalistic detailing.
Antique cobra inkstand featuring a circular Fahrenheit thermometer mounted above the sculptural bronze serpent.
Victorian scientific desk ornament with a curved glass thermometer, graduated temperature markings, and gilt metal circular frame.
Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins cobra inkstand featuring a suspension hook designed to accommodate a pocket watch.
Victorian bronze serpent inkstand with an inset compass displaying a decorative compass rose and directional markings beneath glass.
Antique gilt bronze cobra inkstand with integrated writing instrument openings and elaborate naturalistic foliage decoration.
Victorian cobra desk accessory with a hinged upper section revealing the interior compartment originally intended for ink.
Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins Victorian inkstand displaying cast inscriptions identifying the designer and publication date of 5 February 1850.
Antique Victorian bronze inkstand featuring engraved lettering along the casting and historical markings associated with Hawkins.
Mid-19th-century English cobra inkstand with aged gilt finish, naturally darkened bronze surfaces, and finely defined serpent scales.
Rare Victorian cobra inkstand incorporating a thermometer, compass, pocket watch suspension hook, and decorative bronze sculpture.
Authenticity and secure checkout guarantee

Victorian Gilt Bronze Cobra Inkstand with Thermometer & Compass | Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins | Design Published 1850

Descripción
Más Menos

Historical Context & Origin

Region: England
Designer: Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins (1807–1894)
Material: Gilt bronze, metal instrument fittings, glass, and red inset eyes
Period: Victorian Era, Mid-19th Century CE; Design Published 5 February 1850

Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins was an English sculptor and natural history illustrator whose work brought together artistic craftsmanship and the study of the animal world. He is particularly remembered for the life-size reconstructions of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals created for Crystal Palace Park at Sydenham. Unveiled in 1854, these included the world's first full-scale dinosaur reconstructions and helped introduce a broad public to the developing science of palaeontology.

This cobra inkstand represents another aspect of Hawkins's work: the use of animal sculpture in decorative objects designed for everyday surroundings. Its cast inscriptions identify Hawkins and record a publication date of 5 February 1850, placing the design shortly before his celebrated Crystal Palace commission.

Description

An elaborate Victorian desk accessory, this gilt bronze inkstand takes the form of a coiled cobra rising above a shaped base decorated with rockwork and foliage. The snake's body twists through an open sculptural arrangement, with individually defined scales, a ribbed underside, an expanded hood, and red inset eyes.

Mounted above the cobra is a circular thermometer, its curved glass tube following a graduated Fahrenheit scale around the inside of the metal ring. A small hook at the top provides a suspension point for a pocket watch, allowing a watch to be displayed within the circular opening.

A compass is recessed among the lower coils, its face displaying a radiating compass rose and directional markings beneath glass. Openings incorporated into the composition accommodate the inkstand's writing functions, while the hinged upper section lifts to reveal the interior compartment.

The opened base exposes a prominent cast inscription bearing Hawkins's name and the 1850 publication date. Further lettering appears along the edge of the upper casting. These marks add particular interest to an object whose sculptural form and scientific fittings make it an engaging display piece for a study, library, or collection of Victorian curiosities.

Features

- Sculptural cobra design associated with Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins

- Gilt bronze body with detailed scales, expanded hood, and red inset eyes

- Circular glass thermometer with a graduated Fahrenheit scale

- Suspension hook for displaying a pocket watch

- Inset compass with decorative compass rose and directional markings

- Integrated pen-holding and ink-access openings

- Hinged upper section revealing an interior ink compartment

- Cast inscriptions bearing Hawkins's name and the publication date of 5 February 1850

- Shaped base with rockwork and foliage decoration

Cultural Significance

The combination of animal sculpture, writing equipment, and scientific instruments gives this piece a distinctive place within Victorian decorative art. Its cobra serves both as the principal sculptural subject and as the framework around which the practical fittings are arranged.

For collectors, the Hawkins connection provides an additional dimension. His work at Crystal Palace helped establish how prehistoric animals were presented to the public in three dimensions. This smaller domestic object offers a different expression of the same artist's interest in modelling the natural world.

Condition

Antique condition with surface wear, rubbing to the gilt finish, scattered darkened areas, and localized oxidation. The modelling of the scales, foliage, and rockwork remains clearly defined, and the cast inscriptions are legible.

The compass, circular thermometer, watch hook, and hinged upper section are present. The working condition and accuracy of the instruments have not been verified.

The interior is shown without a separate removable ink liner. An open mounting aperture and a circular plugged fixing point are visible on the upper surface of the cobra's hood; the completeness of the original upper fittings has not been established. No pocket watch is included.

Dimensions (Approximate)

Height: 8 in
Width: 5.75 in
Depth: 5.75 in

Age (Approximate)

176 years old

Provenance

Previously handled by Quinn’s Auction Galleries, Falls Church, Virginia, USA. Quinn’s Auction Galleries is a long-established auction house based in Falls Church, Virginia, known for handling fine art, antiques, decorative arts, estate collections, and historically significant objects.

Learn More

Discover the remarkable contributions of Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins to Victorian sculpture and natural history through the Natural History Museum

Browse our collection of Victorian Artifacts & Historic Relics

Descripción

Historical Context & Origin

Region: England
Designer: Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins (1807–1894)
Material: Gilt bronze, metal instrument fittings, glass, and red inset eyes
Period: Victorian Era, Mid-19th Century CE; Design Published 5 February 1850

Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins was an English sculptor and natural history illustrator whose work brought together artistic craftsmanship and the study of the animal world. He is particularly remembered for the life-size reconstructions of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals created for Crystal Palace Park at Sydenham. Unveiled in 1854, these included the world's first full-scale dinosaur reconstructions and helped introduce a broad public to the developing science of palaeontology.

This cobra inkstand represents another aspect of Hawkins's work: the use of animal sculpture in decorative objects designed for everyday surroundings. Its cast inscriptions identify Hawkins and record a publication date of 5 February 1850, placing the design shortly before his celebrated Crystal Palace commission.

Description

An elaborate Victorian desk accessory, this gilt bronze inkstand takes the form of a coiled cobra rising above a shaped base decorated with rockwork and foliage. The snake's body twists through an open sculptural arrangement, with individually defined scales, a ribbed underside, an expanded hood, and red inset eyes.

Mounted above the cobra is a circular thermometer, its curved glass tube following a graduated Fahrenheit scale around the inside of the metal ring. A small hook at the top provides a suspension point for a pocket watch, allowing a watch to be displayed within the circular opening.

A compass is recessed among the lower coils, its face displaying a radiating compass rose and directional markings beneath glass. Openings incorporated into the composition accommodate the inkstand's writing functions, while the hinged upper section lifts to reveal the interior compartment.

The opened base exposes a prominent cast inscription bearing Hawkins's name and the 1850 publication date. Further lettering appears along the edge of the upper casting. These marks add particular interest to an object whose sculptural form and scientific fittings make it an engaging display piece for a study, library, or collection of Victorian curiosities.

Features

- Sculptural cobra design associated with Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins

- Gilt bronze body with detailed scales, expanded hood, and red inset eyes

- Circular glass thermometer with a graduated Fahrenheit scale

- Suspension hook for displaying a pocket watch

- Inset compass with decorative compass rose and directional markings

- Integrated pen-holding and ink-access openings

- Hinged upper section revealing an interior ink compartment

- Cast inscriptions bearing Hawkins's name and the publication date of 5 February 1850

- Shaped base with rockwork and foliage decoration

Cultural Significance

The combination of animal sculpture, writing equipment, and scientific instruments gives this piece a distinctive place within Victorian decorative art. Its cobra serves both as the principal sculptural subject and as the framework around which the practical fittings are arranged.

For collectors, the Hawkins connection provides an additional dimension. His work at Crystal Palace helped establish how prehistoric animals were presented to the public in three dimensions. This smaller domestic object offers a different expression of the same artist's interest in modelling the natural world.

Condition

Antique condition with surface wear, rubbing to the gilt finish, scattered darkened areas, and localized oxidation. The modelling of the scales, foliage, and rockwork remains clearly defined, and the cast inscriptions are legible.

The compass, circular thermometer, watch hook, and hinged upper section are present. The working condition and accuracy of the instruments have not been verified.

The interior is shown without a separate removable ink liner. An open mounting aperture and a circular plugged fixing point are visible on the upper surface of the cobra's hood; the completeness of the original upper fittings has not been established. No pocket watch is included.

Dimensions (Approximate)

Height: 8 in
Width: 5.75 in
Depth: 5.75 in

Age (Approximate)

176 years old

Provenance

Previously handled by Quinn’s Auction Galleries, Falls Church, Virginia, USA. Quinn’s Auction Galleries is a long-established auction house based in Falls Church, Virginia, known for handling fine art, antiques, decorative arts, estate collections, and historically significant objects.

Learn More

Discover the remarkable contributions of Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins to Victorian sculpture and natural history through the Natural History Museum

Browse our collection of Victorian Artifacts & Historic Relics

También te puede interesar