Rare Franc Macon Inkwell In Gilt Bronze In The Shape Of A Beehive From The 19th Century.

Small gilded bronze inkwell with a beehive-shaped system decorated with bees at the top, on a base animated with flowers and vegetation. The basket receptacle is decorated with sheaves of wheat and bees. This inkwell is decorated with two lidded buckets, one of which has a cap depicting an eagle. The bee and the hive have been very present in the iconography of Freemasonry since the 18th century for the social harmony that reigns in the hive, and the laborious and altruistic character of the bees. The hive surrounded by bees is a strong symbol of Freemasonry and appears on many Masonic aprons from the end of the 18th century. The beehive represents the Masonic Temple and the bees, the Freemasons who inhabit it. The hive and the bees are generally associated with the Mason's work on himself. The Masonic symbolism does not vary, whether the hive is closed or surrounded by bees, because closed does not mean empty. Porcelain inner pot broken at the top and glued back together. The small porcelain ink cup hides this defect.