https://emuseum.gardinermuseum.com/internal/media/dispatcher/15283/fullInkstand and desk tidy with chinoiserielate 1600sOverall: 5 × 8 5/16 × 9 in. (12.7 × 21.1 × 22.8 cm)Tin glaze earthenware (faience), blue and manganese decorationThe Pierre Karch and Mariel O'Neill-Karch Collection.Manufactured: Nevers, FranceG12.14.41The inkstand and desk tidy is decorated with quills, instruments to sharpen them, coins, as well as a coat of arms, thus reflecting the use of the object as well as the identity of its owner. The inscription “JC” which appears twice inside the round containers are probably the owner’s initials. On the back, the chinoiserie scene of a
scholar meditating on a rock while gazing at the moon – a common motif of Chinese art – reflects intellectual pursuit. Used everyday, such objects have rarely survived.French Faïence14th to 18th Century European Earthenware and Stoneware[]European CeramicsFrench Earthenware - Faïence1833145085FrenchThe letters "J C" appear twice in crowns of laurels at the bottom of the two round containers and are most probably the initials of the owners