thumb|Five-piece silver inkstand for Antonius Simons van Breda (1750-1823), made by silversmith Johannes Adrianus van der Toorn (1747-1832), collection [[KU Leuven]]
An inkstand is a stand, tray, or casket used to house writing instruments. They were generally portable objects, intended to sit on the table or desk where the person was writing. or sometimes porcelain, and could be decorated with crystal, mother of pearl, gold, or even jewels.
An older name for an inkstand was a standish. During the 19th century, they were sometimes called pen rests.
Historic examples
Relatively few inkstands survive.