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"Sleeping Male Figure", Allegorical Bronze Bookend with Nude, Owl, Mask & Child

About the Item

Truly fine and extraordinary, this large and heavy bronze bookend, beautifully sculpted, cast and chased, depicts a sleeping male nude figure, his arm resting on a Classical mask, his body curled around an owl, and his left arm clasped by a small child. Given that the owl represents knowledge and wisdom, and the mask indicates art and theater, the sculpture is suffused with allegory and meaning. The sculpture is not signed, but is stamped 530/101 and shows an engraved inventory number, probably added by the first owner. The bronze has a lustrous patrina, and sits on an oxblood marble base.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 7.25 in (18.42 cm)Width: 7 in (17.78 cm)Depth: 6.75 in (17.15 cm)
  • Style:
    Art Deco (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Bronze,Cast
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    Circa 1920s
  • Condition:
    A small chip on the back end of the marble base.
  • Seller Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU865141107542

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