Pair of Polished Brass Bookends in the Form of Fluted Classical Columns

These elegant bookends take the form of truncated classical columns, each cast in polished brass with a fluted shaft rising from a square socle base. The columns are modelled in a manner recalling the Doric or Tuscan orders of antiquity, with deep, crisp fluting running the full height of the shaft and a stepped circular cap at the top. The warm, reflective surface of the polished brass catches the light handsomely and develops a richer tone with age and handling.

Architectural motifs — particularly the column, capital, and arch — have been a perennial favourite in decorative objects designed for the scholar’s library and the gentleman’s desk since at least the eighteenth century, when the Grand Tour awakened a passion for classical antiquity among the educated European elite. Bookends, inkwells, and paperweights in the form of columns, temples, and obelisks became staple products of the decorative bronze and brass foundries of Paris, London, and Vienna throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

This pair functions beautifully in practice as well as aesthetically: the solid brass construction provides the weight necessary to hold books securely in place, while the architectural form adds a note of gravitas and erudition to the shelf or desktop. They would make a distinguished addition to any library, study, or home office.

Dimensions per bookend: W. 15 × D. 15 × H. 18.5 cm.