Description: a hard to find early 20th century pair of bookends... "This lazy page has turned from his duties to what he finds more to his liking. He evidently is a great book lover, but we fear the volumes strewn about him are the most exciting novelettes of his time rather than the volumes of a student. An exceptionally appropriate book rock." So reads the caption for this design in a 1914 catalogue for "ArtBronz Products" which was the trade name used by Kathodion Bronze Works, Inc (KBW) of NYC. KBW was established in 1889 and discontinued operations in 1918. They used the term "book rocks" for what we today call bookends. I don't know of any other entity that did the same. This is bronze-clad (electro-formed), a manufacturing process by which a skin of bronze was deposited on a plaster form through electro-plating. A handful of companies used this method in the early 1900s to make decorative household objects that had the look, feel, and heft of solid bronze yet were affordable by the middle class. KBW was one of the earliest. Usually their pieces have "KBW" and "ArtBronz" formed in the backs, but I don't find such marks on this one. Could be that they've worn away with age and use; I'm more inclined to think this piece was made early enough in the company's existence that they had not yet started marking them in that manner. In any event, no question this is Kathodion Bronze. Circa 1914 or a few years earlier. Condition is very good for their age. Some breaks in cladding as shown in images, give them a rich patina from over 100 years... many hard to distinguish from the intentional design itself. Finish is original. Please Note: my second photo (and some of the following ones) is accurate in portraying how dark this piece is. My opening photo and others are included to give you a good look at the detail, but they are misleading in terms of the color. each bookend is 6 1/2 inches tall; 4 7/8 inches across the bottom of the back; 4 1/2 inches front to back. It weighs 3 1/2 pounds.
Price: 320 USD
Location: Providence, Rhode Island
End Time: 2024-11-11T19:27:30.000Z
Shipping Cost: 25 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Type: Bookends
Material: Bronze
Finish: Antique Bronze
