Majolica Desk Stands

Desk stands are something of an anachronism today. They certainly look nice, but since the days of ink wells is long in the past, they really don't serve much function. In addition they are rather rare among majolica manufacturers. There are a few truly outstanding examples from the English potteries as well as some rather less elaborate ones among Continental majolica manufacturers.

George Jones desk stand

George Jones desk stand with the wells revealed

Brown-Westhead Moore desk stand

Minton majolica dog desk stand

George Jones desk stand, also made as a jewelry box

Minton monkey and pineapple desk stand

Minton majolica mussel coral ink stand

Minton lemon desk stand also made as a preserves server

Original production drawing from the Minton Archives of the lemon inkstand

Unattributed elephant desk stand

Wedgwood majolica Egyptian desk stand

The majolica desk stands most commonly found today are simple ink wells most often disguised as an apple or a pear on a plate. These are sometimes sold with the fruit missing.
Many of these are of continental origin though from the examples I've seen I suspect that they were made in Great Britain as well.

Registered English eagle majolica desk stand, Rd 319416

Unattributed ink stand with the well hidden by the removable apple

Identical to the stand above but with a removable pear

Most desk stands of Continental origin are made in France though some were made in other countries as well. These pieces have very limited appeal to most collectors irregardless of their size and complexity and consequently sell inexpensively.

Cats riding penny-farthings desk stand

Choisy-le-Roi frog and bird desk stand

Choisy-le-Roi desk stand with removable swan cover

Choisy-le-Roi baroque desk stand

Thomas Sergent desk stand

Mullen & Leendertz majolica ink stand

Crocodile riding a bicycle desk stand

Palmer Cox Brownie Majolica

Palmer Cox was a writer and illustrator famous for his children's books on the Brownies.  He debuted his Brownies in 1883 in St. Nicholas, a prominent children's magazine. The first collection of Brownie stories was published in 1887 as The Brownies, Their Book, which sold over a million copies. Cox would go on to publish 15 more Brownie books, and the stage play Palmer Cox's Brownies (1895) would run for nearly 

five years.

Palmer Cox

The first collection of Brownie stories

Kodak Brownie camera

Cox licensed his Brownies to numerous companies selling a variety of products including dolls, figurines, puzzles, games, toys, china, soap and smoking paraphernalia. 

Brownie stamps

Brownie decals

Brownie puzzle 

The most famous Cox merchandise was the Kodak Brownie camera, but Cox also merchandised to continental majolica manufacturers who created Brownies in the form of humidors (to compliment Brownie Smoking Tobacco), candlesticks, cream pitchers, banks, smoke stands and whiskey bottles. 

Majolica Brownie pitcher

Majolica Brownie pitcher

Brownie majolica match striker

Brownie majolica humidor

Brownie majolica humidor

Brownie majolica humidor

Brownie baby humidor

Brownie majolica humidor

Majolica Brownie humidor

Majolica Brownie sailor humidor

Majolica bearded Brownie humidor

Majolica Brownie sailor candlestick

Majolica Uncle Sam Brownie candlestick

Majolica Irish Brownie candlestick

Majolica Brownie dandy candlestick

Majolica Brownie storekeeper candlestic

Majolica Brownie policeman clock

Today Brownie majolica is really more popular with general Brownie collectors than with majolica collectors but it still commands respectable prices at specialty auctions.

To view a copy of The Brownies, Their Book by Palmer Cox go here.