The Powerhouse acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the ancestral homelands upon which our museums are situated. We respect their Elders, past, present and future and recognise their continuous connection to Country.
85/412 Presentation inkstand, emu egg and silver, made by J M Wendt, Adelaide, South Australia, c. 1880. Click to enlarge.
  • Image 1 of 1, 85/412 Presentation inkstand, emu egg and silver, made by J M Wendt, Adelaide, South Australia, c. 1880. Click to enlarge

Presentation inkstand by J M Wendt

This fine and rare inkstand was crafted in the workshop of J M Wendt, a prominent Adelaide firm of silversmiths, jewellers and retailers in the second part of the nineteenth century; the firm still trades today. It was established by Joachim Mattias Wendt (1830-1917) who came to Adelaide from Schleswig-Holstein in 1854 to establish an enduring and productive business first at Pirie Street and then in Rundle Street. (The duchies of Schleswig and Holstein were much fought over by Denmark and …

Summary

Object No.

85/412

Object Statement

Presentation inkstand, emu egg and silver, made by J M Wendt, Adelaide, South Australia, c. 1880

Physical Description

Ebonised oval wooden stand, surmounted by a flat fitted sheet of silver with repousse grasses, ferns and wild flowers, rising at the centre into a circular stem in the form of a tree trunk with six roots extending outwards around the base, branches emerging from its top. Fixed into its base, branches, two grazing emus, a standing bearded aboriginal cast in a loin cloth, his left foot raised on the body of a kangaroo, his right arm raised holding a boomerang, the left a club. Central stem is surmounted by an emu egg mounted horizontally, perforated on one side. Inside is a cast silver scene of a running emu and a hopping kangaroo beneath a tree. The hollow is lined with silver sheet bordered with a scrolled crosshatched silver frame with four lobes. The cover is surmounted by a finial in the form of a cockatoo with wings outstretched, cast in silver, on a branch on the reverse of the egg is a round silver stud which secures the inkwell within. Inscribed on a shield- shaped silver plaque attached to the stand: "To R.C. from R.C. in grateful recognition".

Short URL

https://ma.as/48080

Dimensions

Height

270 mm

Width

270 mm

Depth

160 mm

Source

Credit Line

Purchased 1985

Acquisition Date

31 March 1985

Cite this Object

Harvard

Presentation inkstand by J M Wendt 2022, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 28 March 2023, <https://ma.as/48080>

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://ma.as/48080 |title=Presentation inkstand by J M Wendt |author=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences |access-date=28 March 2023 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}

We want to hear from you

I know more about this object   I have a question about this object   
Creative Commons Licence

Copyright for the above image is held by MAAS and may be subject to third-party copyright restrictions. Please contact MAAS Rights and Permissions for information regarding reproduction, copyright and fees. Text is released under Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives licence

  Submit an image license enquiry.