"The Kiss, " Romantic, Rare Bronze Inkwell/Pen Tray with Nudes and Aquatic Motif

A masterful -- and brilliantly-hued -- example of high style Art Deco sculpture, this large and unique vase depicts several nude figures along its upper edge -- a Triton blowing his shell-horn on one side and a nude merman and mermaid embracing on the other. The sides of the vase are enlivened by a series of jumping dolphins, and the entire surface is glazed in streaky blues, pale greens and rich browns. The artist was Edgardo Simone, an eccentric and brilliant sculptor who worked in bronze, plaster and ceramics over several decades. He was born in Italy and trained in Rome, but spent much of his career in America, specializing in portrait busts. He sculpted the likenesses of Thomas Edison, John Pershing, Henry Ford, Louis Brandeis, Sally Rand, President Franklin Roosevelt...

Rare and beautifully crafted, this Art Deco letter opener features a high relief seahorse on its handle and a wide, tapering blade, all in a gold-toned bronze. The sculptor was Vitello, a French artist who specialized in very fine bronze desk items...

Depicting two male nudes lifting a garland framing Medieval images of the two patron saints of Leipzig University -- St. Laurentius and John the Baptist -- this rare and beautiful br...

Entirely striking and original, this bronze paperweight features two crabs framed by enameled anemone and bits of sea and sand, all highly stylized in the Art Deco manner, and everyt...

Antique inkwell made from bronze, gilded. Very good condition of the bronze work.

Antique inkwell made from bronze. Finely chiseled and gilded. Signed "FRECOURT" by the french artist Maurice Frecourt (born 1890, Paris). Very good condition of the bronze and good...

French gilt bronze and marble inkwell and pen holder.

A wonderful and impressive figural inkwell made from solid cast English brass, beautifully executed with a fabulous patina. Standing on little cast feet, the large leaf is of cour...