Medieval Inkpot Inkwell With Engraving And War Wound

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Medieval Inkpot Inkwell With Engraving And War Wound

Monastery type medieval cauldron inkpot inkwell with bird and fauna etching. This fascinating pot tickles the imagination. Is that an axe/sword impact shown in image 2? A sharp indent on hard metal like this doesn’t happen from a mere fall. The chop mark did not breach the vessel, but the stress of the impact caused a thin small crack just above it to the right.

It has rich brown uniform patina. The age patina developed AFTER the axe mark. No corrosion. The interior is lined with remnants of shiny black ink.

Medieval inkpot like this were used by scribes and Monks to copy the Bible and other important documents during the middle-ages. Was this pot sitting next to a monk who lost his head during Henry VIII’s attack on the monasteries in the 1500s? Is it Islamic? Alas, it’s history is unknown.

Decorated by hand featuring four birds with plume crowns surrounded by foliage and bordered by slanted dashes. An ordinary scribe’s inkpot was unadorned. This is a fancy inkpot. Measures 2½” tall with a widest girth of 7″. Weighs 1/2 lb.