Desk Accessories

Art Deco, Cubist figure of a lying lady. Called by the Artist The Lying Nymph. Made between 1921-1926. Terracotta over a black wooden base. Bio: Pablo Curatella Manes (December 14, 1891–November 14, 1962) was a prolific Argentine sculptor. Born in La Plata in 1891 to Clara Manes, a Greek Argentine immigrant, and Antonio Curatella, from Italy, Curatella Manes first acquired an interest in sculpture during his frequent childhood visits to the newly inaugurated La Plata Fine Arts Museum. He entered the labor force in 1905, as a typographer in a printing house, though an accident some months later ended his career in that industry. Drawing on his childhood interest, he was taught the basics of sculpture by Arturo Dresco, who owned a local atelier. The Curatellas relocated to Buenos Aires, where the young sculptor enrolled in the National Fine Arts School in 1907. A rebellious streak promptly led to his expulsion, though Curatella earned an apprenticeship in 1908, under Lucio Correa Morales, with whom he worked on a number of works commissioned by Public Parks Director Charles Thays. Following the 1910 elections, he created a commemorative gold medal for Vice President-elect Victorino de la Plaza, who secured a scholarship for Curatella that took him to Florence and Rome. Curatella traveled extensively in Italy, as well as much of Western Europe, touring the region's museums and cathedrals. On his return to Argentina in 1912, National Fine Arts School director Ernesto de la Cárcova nearly ordered the funds' repayment, objecting to travel and activities not covered by the scholarship, desisting from the punishment after being shown a folio of Curatella's prolific work. His first Buenos Aires exhibit, in 1912, was followed by a return to Europe. He settled in the Montparnasse section of Paris and studied under Aristide Maillol and Emile-Antoine Bourdelle, but was forced to return home after the outbreak of World War I. In his native La Plata he opened an art gallery, the Salón de Otoño (Autumn Salon), in 1916. A brief return in 1917 to Paris, where Curatella worked under Maillol, Maurice Denis and Paul Sérusier, was eventually followed by a second scholarship, with which he settled in Paris in 1920. Studying under Henri Laurens, Juan Gris, Constantin Brâncu?i and Le Corbusier, Curatella explored Cubism, and his sculptures became more avant-garde; he also established his first atelier, where he acquired the habit of creating and destroying sculptures in a single day. He married French painter Germaine Derbecqre in 1922 and in 1926, was given a post in the Argentine Embassy. Returning to Argentina in 1929, he exhibited Las Tres Gracias...

Seal Stamp "Bluets" made in frosted glass with turquoise blue patina by Rene Lalique in 1912. Original silver initial part. Engraved signature on side. Perfect condition. Height :...

Tiffany Studios’ Pond Lily Desk Set is a rare model, with only three extant sets known. The set is decorated with a dazzling array of lily pads, lily buds, dragonflies, and moths. The dragonfly and moth was a leitmotif of the Art Nouveau, but Louis Tiffany encountered the creatures and explored their form and significance throughout his childhood and artistic life, beginning as a youngster who sketched au plein air in the woods and wetlands surrounding his father’s summer house. At his Laurelton Hall estate, an artwork of nature coaxed into form over decades, Tiffany observed these insects in the teeming saltwater marshes and wetlands of Oyster Bay. The crown jewel of his Laurelton Hall garden was a water lily pond filled with varieties of colored water lilies, a novelty that debuted at the 1900 Exposition Universelle. Tiffany proceeded to make a series of designs based on the pond lily which he displayed to much acclaim in the 1902 Turin Prima Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Decorativa Moderna. Product Details: Item #: T-21399 Artist: Tiffany Studios New York Country: United States Circa: 1905 Materials: Patinated Bronze Signed: blotter ends, inkstand, calendar frame, pen tray and rocker blotter each impressed "Tiffany Studios New York"; the inkstand, pen tray, rocker blotter and blotter ends further impressed with firm's respective model numbers Literature: Martin Eidelberg, Nina Gray and Margaret K. Hofer, A New Light on Tiffany...

Antique 1938 Royal Model O Vintage Art Deco Black Portable Typewriter. Circa Early 20th Century. Measurements: 5" H x 12" W x 11.5" D.

A gorgeous antique gilt bronze Arts & Crafts period desk calendar frame or picture frame in the Bookmark pattern By Tiffany Studios (signed to the back) New York, USA, 1918 Measur...

A gorgeous antique bronze paperweight in the Venetian design By Tiffany Studios (signed to the underside) New York, USA, Early 20th Centur...

Set alongside the four treasures of the study - the calligraphy brush, ink, paper, and inkstone - a brush rest was an essential fixture of the scholars' desk. This early 20th century...

A gorgeous pair of Art Deco or Arts & Crafts period patinated bronze Graduate pattern blotter ends, with a custom brown leather desk blotter. By Tiffany Studios (signed to the under...

A large Swedish globe from 1911 by H. Kiepert, Swedish version by "Arvid Kempe" for "Wahlström & Widstrand". Stockholm, dated 1911. Cartographer "D. Reimers in Berlin. This large glo...

A gorgeous antique bronze Graduate pattern desk pen tray with verdigris green patina By Tiffany Studios (signed to the underside) New York, USA, Early 20th Century Measures: 8.75"...

An unusual brass desk top, mantelpiece or shelf curio. Likely England or France, c1900s. Raised over a black marble bass, this details desk top model of a street lantern has ...

This very well executed cast and cold-painted bronze and brass book stand is unsigned, but presumed to have originated from Austria and dating to approximately 1920 and done in a per...

The entire machine is expertly disassembled, cleaned, lubricated, all repaired and fully functional The packaging of the machine has surface defects that are associated with the age...

A desk clock designed by Tiffany & Co. A beautiful elegant desk clock, created in New York city by Tiffany & Co. during the art deco period, back in the 1928. This stunning piece ...

Mughal ladies Tom Pouce lighter designed by Cartier. Fabulous and extremely rare ladies cylindrical gasoline lighter. Created in Paris during the art deco period by the house of Cartier, back in the middle of the 1920's. This miniature Tom Pouce lighter, takes its name from the classic short fairy tales by the Grimm's brothers, Tom Thumb (Tom Pouce being the French translation). It was crafted with Champlevé colored enamels over rustic bronze and accented with details in yellow gold of 18 karats. Embellished with natural lapis lazuli and an emerald. The main outside body is decorated with organics elements and figures of red and blue birds. Gorgeous look and surely a great conversation piece which is accompanied by the round Cartier red box. Champlevé, in the decorative arts, is an enameling technique or an object made by the champlevé process, which consists of cutting away troughs or cells in a metal plate and filling the depressions with pulverized vitreous enamel. The raised metal lines between the cutout areas form the design outline. Emerald: Accented on top in a bezel setting, with 1 square faceted cut of a natural green emerald of about 0.15 carats. Lapis: Mount with 1 flat round cabochon cut, carved from lapis lazuli of about 1.25 carats. Birthstone: Emerald for the month of May. Weight: 21.95 Grams, (14.07 Dwt). Measurements: Have a diameter of 16 mm and a height of 33 mm (0.63 x 1.30 Inches). Hallmarks Stamped with the maker's mark, the serial numbers, the French taxation mark for luxury items BL inside a rectangular cartouche and signed, "CARTIER 5554", stamped with matching cases numbers, 13 & 13. Ministere Des Finances Lighter Tax 1911-1945 Note: On 10th December 1910 the French state adopted a new tax regulations on all devices indented to produce spark or fire by friction, or by any other means, and of the combustion of a flammable substance. Since 1st January 1911 every lighter in France that was intended for sale in the French market had to be taxed and adequately marked. To confirm that the excise duty was paid to the Ministry of Finance a special duty metal plate (stamp) was attached (usually welded) to the lighter by the lighter manufacturers. The fees charged by the French state were high but the tax rates levied by the state were varying depending on the type and finish of the lighter. Following tax rates were used: 2 French francs for common pocket lighters, 5 Fr for pocket lighters made of silver, 20 Fr for luxury pocket lighters (e.g. made of gold), 5 Fr for common table/desk lighters (over 10 cm), 10 Fr for table/desk lighters (over 10 cm) made of silver, 50 Fr for luxury table/desk lighters (over 10 cm) made of gold or platinum. Between 1911 and 1916 a simple copper plate was used which had the date 1911 engraved. Later, between 1916 and 1945 a new plate (undated) was introduced with the letters "C" and "I" (stands for indirect taxes) and a profile of Mercury (patron god of financial gain, commerce and messengers) with an inscription "Ministère Des Finances" (eng. Ministry of Finance). Two shapes were used for the plate – oval for table lighters, the other one for pocket lighters. Additional to the two duty plates a marking "BL" (Briquet de Luxe, eng. luxury lighter) was introduced in 1926. It was a small hallmark which was considered as more discreet and applied only on luxury lighters like Quercia or Lancel. It is worth to mention that France was not the sole country where lighters were taxed and marked with special plates...

Bone china Ordinary York cup by Daisy Making-Jones for Wedgwood Decorated on the outer with a trio of hand painted and gilded butterflies, a ground of...

This is a small antique vesta holder. An English, silver plated decorative table treen in the form of a coal scuttle, dating to the early 20th century, c...

Particular inkwell made in Germany in 1900, green and blue enameled parts, decorated with floreal motifs.

An exquisite retired Swarovski crystal daisy flowers arrangement designed by Michael Stamey. The figurine was part of the “Secret Garden theme” and featu...

Early 20th century English desk set made of a carved oak platform with a black lacquer surface embellished with silver plate details. Form fitting inserts hold a pair of square cryst...

Artist: Franz Xaver Bergmann Sculpture: Crocodile This wonderful life-like little sculpture of a crocodile is actually a most convenient paperweight, and a perfect desk accesso...

Very elegant French Art Deco Inkwell in gilt bronze and portor black marble with its white and golden veins. The inkwell stands on three beautiful round gilt bronze feet. It has a pe...

A Tiffany Studios New York glass and bronze "Poppy" table lamp featuring a leaded glass shade depicting crimson red poppy blossoms with multi-hued green leaves against a mottled oran...