Inkwell
Design Date 1930-1933
Designer Marianne Brandt (1893-1983, German)
Manufacturer Ruppelwerk GmbH, Gotha, Germany
Media metal
Dimensions 2 1/2 x 3 5/8 x 3 5/8 inches
Marianne Brandt was the first female student of the Bauhaus metal workshop in 1923/1924. Female students had previously been admitted to the textile and ceramics workshops of the German art school. Director Walter Gropius and Hungarian László Moholy-Nagy, who led the metals program, redesigned the course of study that year to focus more on industrial design and mass production. Geometric forms are one characteristic of Bauhaus metalwork. Brandt’s cylindrical inkwell, topped with a red sphere, presents itself as a simple cylinder. The top of the cylinder pivots to reveal the glass inkwell inside. Note the subtle indentation of the pen tray on the base.
ON VIEW in Bauhaus Gallery 5
Markings Printed circle logo mark with "RUPPEL" and "geschützt" on bottom
Credit Line Collection Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art
Accession Number 2008.0556
