Bibliotheque du Roi - Writing set

*Note* If you like this object please consider buying it in the Louvre museum, thank you.

Writing is one of the most important inventions of humanity. It allowed us to record our history, ideas, and discoveries and spread them across the globe for all to know. As the writing developed so did writing instruments and techniques.

Letter writing was a much-practiced activity in eighteenth-century Europe. Horace Walpole, a prolific correspondent himself, reported on September 12, 1775, to his friend Anne Liddell, “There have been known here (in Paris) persons who wrote to one another four times a day; and I was told of one couple, who being always together, and the lover being fond of writing, he placed a screen between them, and then wrote to Madame on the other side, and flung them over.” In order to accommodate this incessant writing, a variety of tables à écrire, as well as writing sets, were created.

The most common writing tool was the quill, which popularity lasted until the 19th century when the first pens with metal nibs appeared (although there were earlier tries of metal pens, they didn’t catch on). Quills are pens made from flight feathers of large birds, but the best ones were made from goose, swan, and turkey feathers. The hollow shaft of these feathers holds the ink which flows to the tip, which is cut into the shaft, by capillary action. Different materials were used to be written on with quills, like parchment and vellum. From the 17th century, when writing became more popular, quills were made to be more flexible and cut to a point.

Apart from the quill, another necessity was the inkwell. An inkwell is a small jar or container, often made of glass, porcelain, silver, or brass, used for holding ink in a place convenient for the person who is writing.

Another necessity in writing was the pounce. Pounce is a fine powder, most often made from powdered cuttlefish bone, that was used both to dry ink and to sprinkle on a rough writing surface to make it smooth enough for writing. The pounce or sand is gently sprinkled all over the writing on the paper. When using a quill, and with inks that are made up to match those typically in use during the 18th or 19th centuries, and provided the pen has been used with the fine strokes typical of the handwriting of that period, the handwriting will be sufficiently dry within 10 seconds to allow the paper to be folded without blotting. A sponge was also almost always included (at least for the upper classes) that would remove the excess pounce or sand

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This magnificent writing set, from late 18th century France, contains:

-The whole set as a single object (Picture 1)

-Bronze tray in the shape of a shell on four legs, sculpted to appear like dolphins. In the middle is a wonderfully made head of the Roman Good of the sea, Neptun, with a gilded and very delicately executed laurel wreath. In ancient Rome, laurel wreaths were symbols of martial victory, crowning a successful commander during his triumph, or a sign of divinity. The head of Neptune could be opened, and a sponge could be placed inside. (Picture 2)

-Two smaller vases from the Manufacture royale de Sèvres were made circa 1771 in the famous "Bleu du Roi" (Royal blue) color. One vase was used as an inkwell and the other for storing pounce. (Picture 3)

-Two larger Sèvres vases, made at the same time as the two before. They are richly gilded, each surmounted by a domed cover with ball finial, the shoulder and lower portion fluted and applied with gilt foliate bands. The vases are painted in the manner of the celebrated painter François Boucher with amorous couples in landscapes. (Picture 4)

-Two beautifully sculpted and ornate paperweights in the form of lions. (Picture 5)

-Two delightful candlesticks, consisting of a vase with ribbons and garlands of pearls. The vase is sitting on a half-column pedestal, with foliate bands running in the fluting of the column. (Picture 6)

-An open book, with two pages from Charles Étienne Briseux's 1752 book called "Traité du beau essentiel dans les arts, appliqué particulièrement à l'architecture" (Treatise on essential beauty in the arts, applied particularly to architecture). One of my personal favorites, the book contains the five classical orders from Ancient Greek and Roman civilizations (Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite) as well as Briseux's original designs for the interiors and exteriors. (Picture 7)

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You can adjust the intensity of the shadows beneath the object by selecting the face of the shadow and lowering the transparency to your liking.

Land impact is 3 for the whole set as a single object and 1 for each object separately
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