Inkwells provide endless fascination.  If I could, I would buy them all.  However, the pocket doesn’t stretch to that and I wouldn’t have space for them anyway so I have to make judicious decisions about which inkwells to buy.  If they are exceptionally pretty, like this one, I might hang on to them for a while.  Sooner or later, of course, another one comes along that I have to have and I will need to clear the space for it.

I am assured that this beautiful owl was made in the Black Forest of Germany and I have no reason to doubt it.  It’s carved from a very light wood, probably lime.  His glass eyes make him look very fierce and maybe a little bit cross-eyed.  I think this is how an owl would look to a mouse.  I believe he’s a Short-Eared Owl with the tufts in the raised position.  He’s about six inches high.

These Black Forest carved inkwells are very popular and they go from the realistic, like this one, to the sentimental, usually doggies and pussycats.  I’ve noticed that the sentimental ones fetch the biggest prices.  I love them all.

The inkwell lacks a liner but I have a cream porcelain one on order that should fit it.  As well as being beautiful it’s very practical and there’s a nice pen rest in front of the owl.  These things make delightful ornaments but they’re even better when they’re used for the purpose for which they were intended.

The detail of the carving is beautiful and precise and the longer one studies it the closer one feels to the craftsman of perhaps 100 years ago who patiently carved this item and doubtless hundreds of others in a lifetime of this work.  It’s a privilege to own something like this.