View source for Syng inkstand

{{Short description|U.S. founding document inkstand}}
{{Infobox artwork
| image_file         = Syng inkstand.jpg
| title              = Syng inkstand
| image_size         = 250px
| artist             = [[Philip Syng]]
| year               = {{Date and age|1752}}
| type               = silver inkstand
| city               = [[Philadelphia]]
| museum             = [[Independence National Historical Park]]
| italic title       = no
}}
[[File:JohnHancocksSignature.svg|thumb|[[John Hancock]] used the inkstand to write his well-known signature on the Declaration of Independence]]
[[File:Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States.jpg|thumb|''[[Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States]]'', by [[Howard Chandler Christy]] (1940), shows the inkstand.]]
[[File:Foundation of the American Government by Henry Hintermeister.jpg|thumb|[[John Henry Hintermeister]]'s 1925 painting ''Foundation of American Government'' portrays the inkstand]]
[[File:Obverse of the series 2009 $100 Federal Reserve Note.jpg|thumb|The obverse of the [[United States one-hundred-dollar bill]] has presented a stylized representation of the Syng inkstand's inkwell since 2013]]
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. Besides paper documents, it is one of four still-existing objects that were present during the [[Constitutional Convention (United States)|Constitutional Convention]], along with the [[Liberty Bell]], the chair that [[George Washington]] sat in as the convention's presiding officer, and [[Independence Hall]] itself.

The inkstand was made by [[Philip Syng]] in 1752 for the [[Province of Pennsylvania#Government|provincial assembly of Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{cite book |author=Weigley, Russell Frank, Wainwright, Nicholas B., and Wolf, Edwin | title = Philadelphia | publisher = W.W. Norton and Company | year = 1982 | pages = 97–98 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=8OAUwyeYjM8C | isbn = 978-0-393-01610-9}}</ref> It is both a work of art and an important historical artifact, as it was used by such prominent [[Founding Fathers of the United States]] as Washington, [[Benjamin Franklin]], [[Thomas Jefferson]], [[John Hancock]], [[Alexander Hamilton]], [[John Adams]], [[James Madison]], and the other signers of the founding documents.<ref name="vile">{{cite book | last = Vile | first = John R. | title = The Constitutional Convention of 1787: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of America's Founding | publisher = ABC-CLIO | year = 2005 | pages = 778 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=oyFpDS8p33sC | isbn = 978-1-85109-669-5}}</ref>

Desktop inkstands hold ink for quill pens and other tools that require 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 (calligraphy)|pounce]] to aid in the [[sizing]] of [[parchment]] or [[vellum]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Inkstands |publisher=Kovels.com |url=http://www.kovels.com/priceguide/kovels_inkstand/ |access-date=2009-06-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090605184055/http://www.kovels.com/priceguide/kovels_inkstand/ |archive-date=June 5, 2009 }}</ref> The Syng inkstand is decorated in late [[Rococo]] style and includes a pounce pot, quill holder, and inkpot (left to right in the image shown).

Syng immigrated to America from Ireland in 1713. He was a renowned silversmith who created fine works in silver and gold for the wealthy families of Philadelphia. He was an associate of Benjamin Franklin and a prominent member of the Philadelphia community<ref name=vile/> who assisted in founding the [[Library Company of Philadelphia]], the [[American Philosophical Society]], the [[Union Fire Company]], and the [[University of Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Philp Syng, Jr. | work = Dr. Physick, America's First Soda | url = http://drphysick.com/philipsyng.html | access-date = 2009-06-17}}</ref> In 1731, Syng served as Grand Master of Masons in Pennsylvania.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=Jonathan|title=Past Grand Masters|url=https://pagrandlodge.org/masonic-leadership/past-grand-masters/|access-date=2020-07-04|website=Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania| date=24 June 2015 |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Syng inkstand became the property of the State of Pennsylvania and was moved to the state capital in [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania|Harrisburg]] soon after the Constitutional Convention ended. It was returned to the City of Philadelphia in 1876, on the [[Centennial Exposition|centennial]] of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, where it became famous.<ref name=vile/> It was displayed in Independence Hall on a desk in front of George Washington's chair. Cracks appeared in the plaster ceiling of Independence Hall in 1922 and stoked fears that the building would collapse, and the inkstand was considered such an important artifact that it was removed at the same time that the first floor was cleared of visitors.{{citation needed|date = April 2019}}

The National Park Service acquired the inkstand when it took over maintenance of Independence Hall from the City of Philadelphia.<ref>{{cite book | last = Greiff | first = Constance M. | title = Independence | publisher = University of Pennsylvania Press | year = 1987 | pages = 141 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=aqEQydqanhUC | isbn = 978-0-8122-8047-0}}</ref> It is now on display in a special case in [[Independence National Historical Park]] in Philadelphia, along with copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.<ref name=vile/>

==See also==
* [[Declaration of Independence (Trumbull)|''Declaration of Independence'']], an 1819 painting by [[John Trumbull]] featuring the Syng inkstand.
* [[Signing of the United States Declaration of Independence]]
* [[Signing of the United States Constitution]]
* [[Memorial to the 56 Signers of the Declaration of Independence]]
* [[Charters of Freedom]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Signers of the U.S. Declaration of Independence}}
{{United States Constitution signatories}}
{{George Washington}}
{{Benjamin Franklin}}
{{John Hancock}}
{{Charles Thomson}}
{{Independence National Park}}
{{Philadelphia}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Syng inkstand}}
[[Category:1752 works]]
[[Category:Writing implements]]
[[Category:Drafting of the United States Constitution]]
[[Category:United States Declaration of Independence]]
[[Category:Silver objects]]
[[Category:Independence National Historical Park]]