Inkwell and Liner
Meriden Britannia Company
1 of 2
Caption
Meriden Britannia Company (1852–1898). Inkwell and Liner, ca. 1886. Silver-plate on white metal, 4 x 6 1/2 x 3 1/4 in. (10.2 x 16.5 x 8.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, H. Randolph Lever Fund, 1990.158a-b. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Title
Inkwell and Liner
Date
ca. 1886
Geography
Place printed: Meriden, Connecticut, United States
Medium
Silver-plate on white metal
Classification
Dimensions
4 x 6 1/2 x 3 1/4 in. (10.2 x 16.5 x 8.3 cm)
Signatures
Unsigned
Inscriptions
no inscriptions
Markings
On bottom in interlocking circles: "B.MERIDEN / COMPANY" surrounding scales and "QUADRUPLE PLATE; 37 / U.S.A."
Credit Line
H. Randolph Lever Fund
Accession Number
1990.158a-b
Frequent Art Questions
Do you know anything else about 1990.158a-b beside what's online?
Meriden Britannia Company was founded by brothers Horace and Dennis Wilcox in Meriden, Connecticut in 1852. Britannia does not refer to England, but actually to a kind of shiny metal that is not silver, but looks more like pewter does. Eventually, thanks to advancements in technology, Meriden Britannia Co. was able to begin coating objects in a thin layer of silver using a process called electro-plating. This is how the inkwell here was produced.Do you know why the museum has these objects? Were they a gift?
Both of these silver pieces were acquired with the funds from the H. Randolph Lever Fund in the early 1990 and 1992 as indicated in their accession numbers.I'm not sure who owned them previously.
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