RARE FREEMASON INKWELL IN GILT BRONZE AND BEEHIVE SHAPE, 19TH CENTURY

A small gilt bronze inkwell with a beehive-shaped mechanism, decorated with bees at the top, resting on a base adorned with flowers and foliage. The basket-shaped receptacle is decorated with sheaves of wheat and bees. This inkwell is complemented by two lidded inkwells, one with a stopper in the shape of an eagle. The bee and the beehive have been prominent in Freemasonry iconography since the 18th century, representing the social harmony within the hive and the industrious and altruistic nature of bees. The beehive surrounded by bees is a powerful symbol of Freemasonry and appears on many Masonic aprons from the late 18th century onward. The beehive represents the Masonic Temple, and the bees, the Freemasons who inhabit it. The beehive and bees are generally associated with the Mason's work on himself. Masonic symbolism does not vary, whether the hive is closed or surrounded by bees, because closed does not mean empty.