Antique Japanese Lucky God philosopher bookends Pompeian Bronze clad, 1920\'s
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Antique Japanese Lucky God philosopher bookends Pompeian Bronze clad, 1920\'s:
$315.00
I have never seen these before. Don\'t find them in thereference books or on-line collections. NOT EVEN IN MY ORIGINAL POMPEIAN BRONZE CATALOGUE.
Awesome bookends of a standing Japanese philosopher, holding a book. How do I know it is a Japanesephilosopher? Because that title is formed into the backs, \"Jap. Philosopher.\" But the enlarged forehead may be a reference to the traditional image of one of the Seven Lucky Gods of Japanese mythology: Fukurokuju, the god of wisdom and longevity.
These are electro-formed (more commonly known as bronze-clad), a manufacturing technique whereby askin of bronze (copper, in this case) was made to adhere to a plaster form through electro-plating. This method was used by a handful of companies in the early 1900\'s to make decorativehousehold objects that had the look, feel and heft of solid bronze pieces yet still were affordable by the middle class. You can see on the bottom of one the indentation housing the remnants of the wire loop that was used to suspend the piece in a vat of some electro-plating solution.
One of those companies was Pompeian Bronze of NYC, their name clearly formed in the backs. Also shown is Pompeian\'s stock number of 146. Most interesting to me is that 146 is NOT included in the price list that came with my (undated) original catalogue. There are other stock numbers in that price list that also get skipped. I will make the guess that at whatever date mycatalogue came out, those skipped pieces no longer were being produced or available. And a possible reason for that might be that they were not popular and sold poorly back then.
In any event, no question these are authentic Pompeian Bronze from the 19-teens or 20\'s.
Condition practically is perfect. No breaks in the cladding, only the smallest dents and scuffs. No mashed corners on the bases. Finish is original, shows a few tiny spots of wear where the underlying copper is visible, but otherwise has aged to a lovely, dark patina.
These are big: 9 inches tall; base is 5 inches across at its widest point; 4 1/4 inches front to back. And heavy at 5 pounds EACH PIECE.
Perfect gift for the student of Eastern Philosophies or collector of things Japanese. I truly doubt you ever will see these again, and certainly not in this pristine condition.
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Antique Japanese Lucky God philosopher bookends Pompeian Bronze clad, 1920\'s:
$315.00