Ashville Fine Arts Desk Accessories

French Belle Epoch Antoine Bourdelle Sculptural Pair of Bookends Patinated Bronze Edmond Etling & Cie Foundry, Paris ca. 1910 DIMENSIONS Height: 7.5 inches Width: 3.33 inches Depth: 3.33 inches MARKINGS Same markings are present on the plinths of both bookends: Signed 'A. Bourdelle’. Stamped ‘Edmond Etling & Cie Foundry, Paris’ ABOUT BOOKENDS This exquisite pair of bookends, created by the renowned French sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, epitomizes the grace and emotional depth of the Belle Époque era. Each bookend is a remarkable sculpture in its own right, yet when placed together, they form an inseparable narrative composition, bound by a shared plot. One bookend captures the passionate embrace of Harlequin and his mistress, a tender yet intense moment frozen in time. The second bookend portrays Pierrot, lost in the anguish of jealousy, his expression and posture radiating sorrow and longing. Together, these two figurative sculptures create a dramatic scene, where the books they support become part of the stage set, acting as a barrier between the characters—much like a stage wall in a theatrical performance. The interplay of emotion and movement in this captivating sculptural pair makes it a true masterpiece, seamlessly blending art with functionality. ABOUT SCULPTOR Émile Antoine Bordelles (French, 1861 - 1929) was an influential and prolific French sculptor and teacher. He was a student of Auguste Rodin, a teacher of Giacometti and Henri Matisse, and an important figure in the Art Deco movement and the transition from the Beaux-Arts seyle to modern sculp[ture. His studio became the Musee Bourdelle, an art museum dedicated to his work, located at 18, rue Antoine Bourdelle, in the15th arondissement of Paris, France. His very well known for his use of quivering Romanesque forms in his depictions of mythological figures. One of his best known works Hercules the Archer (1909), was a commissioned sculpture for the financier Gabriel Thomas. Born Émile-Antoine Bourdelle on October 30, 1861 in Montauban, France, he learned woodworking as a youth from his father who was a cabinetmaker. While assisting his father during the workday, he studied drawing at the École des Beaux-Arts in Toulouse in the evening. Moving to Paris in 1885, the artist became an assistant to Auguste Rodin in 1893, Rodin’s influence is evident in many of Bourdelle’s early sculptures. By 1900, he had begun receiving commissions for a number of theaters and later taught classes at his studio to young artist such as Alberto Giacometti and Otto Gutfreund...

French French Belle Époque Sculptural Paperweight Gilt Silver and Rose Quartz ca. 1880s DIMENSIONS Height: 3-5/8 inches Width: 3-3/4 inches ...

ABOUT This elegant Austrian Jugenstil sculptural desk paperweight depicts some fantastic half-human creature from the underwater world, riding a snail. Signed C. Fiala, dark-green co...

Chinese Art Deco Enameled Bronze Inkwell w/ Bird and Flower Motif ca. 1920 Dimensions: Height: 2.5 inches. Width: 6.75 inches. Depth: 3.5 inches.  

This pair of extremely heavy chain links bookends are of 1970s Italian Architectural design. Although functional if used as intended, they form a kind of very interesting geometrical...

Signed illegibly original red marble base. Dimensions: H: 8.25” x W: 3.25” x D: 4.25” Base diameter: 2.75” This beautiful and delicate desktop dark chocolate-brown patinated br...

Unmarked, probably Austrian, this charming carved green agate octagonal vide poche with green/black patinated bronze handle is done in the manner of Hagenauer - a superbly detailed a...

Marked "Opus-Cellini" in the back, this remarkable American Art Deco desk-size gild and dark-patinated bronze and marble sculptural paperweight, depicting a comfortably resting beautiful nude female was made circa 1930 by the famous American founder, Cellini bronze...