Antique SNAIL TURTLE or IGLOO ink well DARK PURPLE hand blown LITTLE embossed

Description

A
2 1
/2
" tall x 4" long
beautiful figural-shaped
DEEP lavender PURPLE
colored antique FIGURAL
SNAIL - TURTLE - IGLOO
shaped INK bottle or Ink WELL
.
This
is an ORIGINAL ANTIQUE hand
B
lown
I
nto
M
old bottle
(
BIM)
with a ground-top
,
dating back to the 1800's, way over a
CENTURY OLD
!
Bottle embossed on base
:   "
LITTLE
".
Condition
:   This INK WELL is in excellent clean condition.   It may have a trace of stain or wear, nothing specific.  It has NO cracks, chips, dings, damage, etc. see pictures for better idea of overall condition
.
Age
: An early hand-blown bottle (Blown-In-Mold = BIM) with a ground top, ca. late
1800's
.
Shipping
:
FREE
domestic shipping.   We do NOT insure International orders unless buyer specifically requests this and we are able to provide an insurance estimate.  If an international shipping charge is much more than the actual shipping cost, we will refund the excess so what YOU pay for shipping/insurance is very close to, if not exactly, the ACTUAL shipping costs! This is important for foreign buyers to know as most of our foreign shipping charges are estimates.  We do not falsify information on the Customs Form, such as a price other than what the actual purchase price is, so please do not request us to do so. We ship several times a week and your prompt payment will hasten the turn-around time.
What an interesting looking (Snail Turtle Igloo) ink well and an unusual ink well with the base embossed "LITTLE"?   This is an EARLY BOTTLE, as the ground top was a result of the bottle being broken off the blow pipe and the lip factory ground down to get a very even surface.   Originally it may of had some type of top to seal it off; maybe silver, maybe brass, with a little hinged lid to open and close the bottle, or maybe it just had a cork seal it.   It was made in this shape and design to protect it from the age-old disaster of having the ink well tip over, thus spilling the ink.   Ink bottle designer's went to great lengths to figure out how to make a 'spill proof' ink bottle.  From the odd design of this bottle, to the conical or cone shape, rectangular, triangular, and even house and boat shape, all designed in a way that would make tipping them over a difficult thing to do.  This one is about impossible to upset even empty, and I am sure with contents it was weighed down even more, like an anchor holding a boat down!   Anyway, all of these designs produced some spectacular looking antique ink bottles for collectors today and this one is right in there, a SUPER NICE looking bottle!   Then there is the rich purple color.
You
hear about old bottles turning purple ... the purple color is the result of having manganese in the glass.  Manganese is a mineral, a rock, that was mined, crushed, and pulverized into a powder, then added to vats of molten liquid glass, and acted as a decolorizing agent to turn the natural aqua-tinted glass into a pure crystal clear colorless glass.   But when exposed to the ultraviolet rays of the sun or other sources of UV rays, it triggers a chemical reaction and the manganese oxidizes and turns a wonderful amethyst color.
This bottle was passed through some UV rays that hastened the t
ime it took to turn purple.
It doesn't really matter whether a bottle has turned purple by the sun or UV rays in a controlled environment, they all turn the same purple color as it is all the same chemical reaction taking place.  But that most important factor to make this even possible, is the age of the bottle as, with few exceptions, only clear glass from before 1914 has manganese in it and will turn sun-colored-amethyst.   So a bottle has to be old enough, blown with manganese in the glass, in order to turn purple
.
Not only does this deep purple/amethyst color make this a great looking antique ink well, but it also authenticates it as being truly antique,
check it out!
Terms of Sale
: Our goal is 100% customer satisfaction. We put our 30+ years of experience in antiques to use in describing every item we list. Items are sold in a store front format and your purchase is a binding contract, so please don't be hasty when looking over the listing. We find that communication is the key to successful transactions so PLEASE completely read the item description AND ask questions before purchasing,
thank you
!
6836-39x