This original and rare pair of Art Deco bookends features a clean, geometric design with bold lines that create a balanced and refined silhouette. The two birds, cast in fine brass, are stylized representations of the Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus). The rectangular bases, with beveled corners, are made of elegant Nero Marquina black marble. Crafted between 1930 and 1935 in a skilled artisan workshop in Saint-Ouen, a renowned suburb of Paris known for metalworking, these bookends were carefully refined by hand after casting. The delicate, elongated shapes were further enhanced through a complex, traditional patination process using special, proprietary acids. This treatment created elegant bronze-toned highlights on the wing tips, beaks, and tails. The birds were then mounted on high-quality Nero Marquina marble bases, resulting in two truly unique and striking decorative pieces. While these birds might initially be mistaken for swans, they actually depict Great Crested Grebes (Podiceps cristatus)—a species often confused with swans due to their elegance and similar habits, yet quite different in both morphology and symbolic meaning. The swan dominates classical and mythological iconography, while the grebe appears more frequently in naturalistic and scientific works. However, since the early 20th century, the Great Crested Grebe has attracted artistic attention thanks to its graceful form and captivating social behavior. The grebe is admired for: its elegant posture and streamlined silhouette, a spectacular and complex courtship display, remarkable parental care (it carries its young on its back), its presence in calm, freshwater environments—iconic features in natural landscapes. In the 19th century, naturalist illustrators such as John Gould, Archibald Thorburn, and J.G. Keulemans portrayed grebes in lifelike poses, often in pairs and lake settings. More recently, European artists working in bronze and ceramic, including Nick Bibby and Geoffrey Dashwood, have created stylized yet recognizable grebe sculptures, highlighting their clean lines and elongated forms. In some wetlands and nature reserves—such as in the Camargue, the Netherlands, and eastern France—grebes have been honored with large-scale metal and wooden art installations, symbolizing their role as icons of freshwater biodiversity. The artistic symbolism associated with the Great Crested Grebe includes natural symmetry and grace, rituals of courtship interpreted as metaphors for love and harmony, and a quiet, elusive nature evoking introspection, discretion, and oneness with the natural world. The base is made of Nero Marquina marble, a fine-grained, deep black stone with white veining, quarried in the Markina region of the Basque Country (Spain). Regarded as one of the world’s most elegant and sought-after natural stones, Nero Marquina is widely used in luxury ornamental work. Both pieces are in good overall condition. Dimensions: Length: 19 cm – 7.5 in. Depth: 9 cm – 3.5 in. Height: 15 cm – 5.9 in.
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SILVER Seller in Prato, Italy
