Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2023 January 30

= January 30 =

What is this object on Wilhelm Keitel's desk?
What is the strange object on the desk next to the inkwell, between the man in the background's hands? Is it some kind of roller to dry off the ink and prevent it from staining the page after Wilhelm Keitel has finished signing? J I P &#124; Talk 19:27, 30 January 2023 (UTC)


 * I think it's a rocker rubber stamp (you can rock it like a rocking chair), often used for large stamping. By rocking it back and forth you could get a clearer and more even image. ---Sluzzelin talk  19:42, 30 January 2023 (UTC)
 * Your surmise is correct, it's a blotter. Blotting paper is attached (and is visible in the picture), and it is then rocked back-and-forth over eg a signature to dry the ink. There is a picture of one (called a "Blotting paper holder") on the page I linked. DuncanHill (talk)
 * After edit conflict: Hold on, I think you're right, and it's in fact a rocker blotter as you indicated. There's one pictured in the article on blotting paper too. ---Sluzzelin talk  19:47, 30 January 2023 (UTC)
 * PS: to avoid typing out "edit conflict" you can do this; . Alansplodge (talk) 18:04, 31 January 2023 (UTC)
 * 🙏🏽 ---Sluzzelin talk  00:47, 1 February 2023 (UTC)