Syng inkstand

Syng Inkstand
Artist	Philip Syng
Year	1752
Type	silver inkstand
Location	Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia

The Syng inkstand is a silver inkstand used during the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the United States Constitution in 1787. Aside from paper documents, it is one of four physical objects that were present during the Constitutional Convention known to still exist (with a reasonable degree of certainty), along with Independence Hall itself, the Liberty Bell, and the chair that George Washington sat in as the Constitutional Convention's presiding officer.

The inkstand was made by Philip Syng in 1752 for the provincial assembly of Pennsylvania. Both a work of art and an important historical artifact, the Syng inkstand was used by such prominent Founding Fathers of the United States as Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, John Adams, James Madison, and the other signers of the founding documents.

Desktop inkstands hold ink for quill pens and other implements that require an external source of ink. Ornate versions include a pen holder, an inkpot, a candle to melt sealing wax, and a pot similar to a salt or pepper shaker used to pour pounce to aid in the sizing of parchment or velum. The Syng inkstand is decorated in late Rococo style and includes, from left to right in the image shown, a pounce pot, quill holder, and inkpot.

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