3 - Napoleon III inkwell. France, ca. 1870.

Napoleon III inkwell. France, ca. 1870. Ebony, glass, and brass. It has a patina consistent with its age. Measurements: 11.5 x 28 x 16.5 cm. Provenance: Estate of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Artistic and heritage collection originating in the legacy of Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a seminal figure of 19th-century Catalan Realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935). Passed down and enriched across successive generations, the collection brings together works from the original holdings of both artists alongside acquisitions made by their descendants. Dedicated to preserving and recovering the family legacy, the descendants actively reacquired works by the painters as they entered the market, progressively expanding the collection to encompass paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, and other items of artistic and historical significance. This inkwell is a fine example of French decorative arts from the Second Empire, characterized by a historicist revival of earlier styles and hallmarks of contrasting materials. The strictly symmetrical composition features two cut-glass inkwells with brass lids on either side of a covered central compartment, set within a dark wooden base with an architectural profile. The decoration combines stepped moldings, fine linear brass inlays, and relief plant motifs, concentrated particularly on the front and around the central body. The hallmarks of Napoleon III’s taste for representative desk accessories are the dark surface of the wood, the transparency of the glass, and the gilded details. Functionality and ornate richness are integrated into a single piece.