How did people write in the past? Prague exhibition highlights artistic value of historic writing tools
Historic writing instruments often form only a small, supplementary part of permanent exhibitions at castles and châteaux, despite the undeniable historical and artistic value of these frequently overlooked objects. A current exhibition at Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle seeks to change that. Among its highlights, visitors can also see an original letter written by the composer Antonio Salieri.
Since a long time ago, human communication has been able to overcome even the greatest distances. Nevertheless, emails and text messages that we can write and send within a few minutes used to take people perhaps hours to complete. Moreover, instead of a single electronic device, they relied on an entire set of precisely crafted tools. The objects such as quills, inkwells, penknives and sand shakers served, however, not only a practical function but also a decorative one. Many of these items can today be admired as prime examples of ingenious craftsmanship.
In Prague, these historic writing tools can currently be seen at the exhibition From Inkwell to Typewriter, held at the Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle. According to the curator of the Lobkowicz Music Archive, Petr Slouka, the exhibition aims to draw visitors' attention to these functional yet beautifully crafted objects, which are sadly often overlooked.
"The writing tools displayed, for example in castles, are often perceived as an obligatory part of a writing desk. People usually pass through the exhibition without properly noticing them. Nevertheless, these objects were among the most important items in their owners' everyday lives."
The exhibition at Lobkowicz Palace consists mainly of objects from the family's extensive collection and features writing implements that this important Bohemian noble family actually used in everyday life. Among the exhibits is, for example, a beautifully decorated 19th-century ceramic inkwell. Many visitors, however, are intrigued by another part of the set, which is a small container that closely resembles a modern-day salt shaker, with tiny holes in its lid about the size of a pinhead.
"It is actually a kind of sand shaker that was filled with special sand. If you wanted to seal and send your correspondence quickly, it was quite essential. You sprinkled the sand over the letter, it absorbed the excess ink, then you blew the sand off, and the letter was dry. This gradually disappeared over time. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, blotting paper came into use, making it much easier to dry the ink without the mess of having sand everywhere. So this little container gradually vanished from writing sets, leaving only the ink reservoir."
Another essential feature of every writing desk was a seal. These were mainly used because people did not use envelopes. Instead, a letter was simply folded and sealed. Many of the seals displayed at Lobkowicz Palace resemble miniature works of art.
"If you look at these seals, you'll see they are true masterpieces. They are made of jasper, amber, amethyst, turquoise, ivory, gold and silver. Most of them were crafted by Viennese goldsmiths. Some are truly unusual. For example, one is shaped like a skull, serving as the traditional memento mori. Others are in the shape of princely coronets. And here you can see a beautiful miniature Egyptian sarcophagus carved from ivory."
Among the inkwells on display, visitors will also find a truly unique wooden piece whose function was more decorative than practical.
"This is an inkwell made by Franz Joseph of Lobkowicz, a great admirer and patron of music. It's quite an ingenious little device. At first glance, it looks like the first hot-air balloon that the Montgolfier brothers launched on a test flight at Versailles in 1783. But attentive visitors will notice a small opening at the top of the inkwell. If you press it with a small wooden stick, the entire balloon opens up, revealing a complete writing set hidden inside."
Perhaps the most photogenic exhibit in the exhibition is a writing set housed in a beautiful green case. Although it immediately catches the eye, curator Petr Slouka says that, unfortunately, it is often overlooked in the permanent exhibition where it is normally displayed.
"This is the writing set of Anna Bertha of Lobkowicz, who was the great-grandmother of the current owner of the Lobkowicz Palace, William Lobkowicz. The set is normally displayed in the permanent exhibition at Nelahozeves Castle, on Princess Anna Bertha's writing desk. And I have to say that many visitors probably overlook it there although it's truly a magnificent piece. It's incredibly well organised. There are compartments for copies of outgoing correspondence, for incoming letters, for invitations to dinner, breakfast and lunch. There's also a compartment for blotting paper. And then there's the writing set itself, made of silver, ivory and other beautiful materials. You can see pens with two different nib widths, a penknife, a seal, a pencil, silver scissors and an ivory letter opener."
For many visitors, however, the exhibition's greatest attraction is the collection of original letters written by some of history's most prominent figures. Since the exhibition opened in October 2025, visitors have been able to see, for example, handwritten letters by the French Sun King, Louis XIV, and Emperor Rudolf II. Curator Petr Slouka describes the fact that both of these letters were written by the rulers themselves as an exceptional rarity, since monarchs usually dictated their correspondence and only added their signatures.
Currently, visitors can see the original of a letter written by the Italian composer Antonio Salieri. Although Salieri is still widely associated with the now-discredited claim that he poisoned Mozart, his correspondence reveals a rather progressive-minded man who deeply cared about the education of future generations.
"I'm very pleased that we have this letter in our archive. And it's not the only one, there are several of them. All are addressed to Franz Joseph of Lobkowicz. Thanks to these letters, I have come to admire Salieri enormously, because he was a man of a cultural knowledge, but also of a political and diplomatic insight. In this particular letter, he writes about the political situation before the Congress of Vienna. He describes the widespread joy that spread across Europe after the victory of the Sixth Coalition and after Napoleon had been exiled to the island of Elba."
The letter also contains an original musical postscript – two lines of notation setting the words "Pacem, Pacem, Alleluia" ("Peace, peace, alleluia") and "Laus Deo" ("Praise be to God"). Salieri added them as an expression of his joy over the return of peace to Europe.
"Besides peace, what everyone was eagerly awaiting was the sovereign's approval for the establishment of the Vienna Conservatory. And in this letter, Salieri informs the prince that this has finally happened – that the ruler has granted permission for the institution to be founded. Salieri hoped it would bring a new generation of musical talent, which was greatly needed at the time. Above all, though, the letter contains what I would call timeless reflections on the purpose and concept of music education and education in general. He even encourages the prince to use his influence among his fellow noblemen and ask them to donate any sheet music they no longer needed from their private collections, so that it could be sent to Vienna and used by the students there."
Composer Antonio Salieri managed to fit all of this onto four pages of letter paper, written in dense handwriting. Like the other original manuscripts, this letter will only be displayed temporarily at Lobkowicz Palace to protect the ink from fading. Visitors will be able to read it until the beginning of September. The From Inkwell to Typewriter exhibition itself will run until the end of October.
