Antique English Bronze 3pc Desk Set: Inkwell, Letter & Pen Tray w/ Banded Agate papier The top bale means this

The top bale means this one would have once hung from an elaborate 18k gold chatelaine

And no where on earth is tradition more important

The layered intaglio prints and varnish have darkened some over time

The invention of the typewriter in the 1870s spelled the demise of the inkwell

Antique English Bronze 3pc Desk Set: Inkwell, Letter & Pen Tray w/ Banded Agate papier The top bale means thisWonderful antique 19th century English Victorian era gilded bronze 3pc writer's desk set including 6 5 8" inkwell, letter opener and 'porte plume' or pen tray with large banded agate medallion accents and mechanical inkwell button with G. B. & Sons English maker, which is the mark of George Betjemann & Sons, very famous maker, and date marks on the registration are for 22 August 1874. The inkwell featuring three large agate medallions around the base