Past Exhibition
Design for an Inkstand
Luigi Valadier (1726–1785)
Design for an Inkstand, 1764
Pen and brown ink, with brown and red wash, over graphite on paper
14 3/4 × 20 5/8 in. (375 × 524 mm)
Morgan Library & Museum, New York
The Pierpont Morgan Library, New York
Valadier designed a number of inkstands, though none survive. This drawing depicts an inkstand — in gilt silver or bronze — that includes two candlesticks. It was inspired by an engraving by Juste-Aurèle Meissonier (1695–1750) that has ink containers with a similar contour.