Victorian Silver-Plate Mounted Horse Hoof Double Inkwell

Mark of Rowland Ward & Co., Naturalists, Picadilly, London; 1881 commemorating the death of "Wordsworth", the hooves engraved on each side, with mount in the form of a bit with naturalistic decoration at the lid.

6 x 13 1/2 x 4 in.

Collection of a Gentleman, Miami, Florida

In Victorian England, there was a particular fascination with death, mourning, and the memorialization of loved ones and pets. When race horses or horses belonging to high-ranking cavalry officers passed away, they could be memorialized with silver-mounted hooves to commemorate their service or relationship with their companions. These mounts were sometimes elaborate, presented in the form of candlesticks, fanciful inkwells, or boxes.

The company Rowland Ward & Co. were world-renowned for high-quality taxidermy and natural history displays. The firm specialized in preparing big-game trophies for explorers, hunters, and museums during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Ward also published Records of Big Game, a leading reference on hunting trophies. His name remains synonymous with exceptional taxidermy craftsmanship from this period.


Some rubbing to the silver plate at the mounts, natural wear and safe cracking to the hooves, some shrinkage at the horseshoe.