Posted 12 years ago
Hyp-storian
(40 items)
Greetings all,
I recently bought this pair of copper & brass DECO-STYLE (!!) Roycroft bookends, and was hoping that someone could tell me more about them. They are 5 inches high, and I know that's a "late" (1930's?) Roycroft mark, but that's about it. As you can see, the four layers of reddish copper triangles make a beautiful contrast to the brass.
I was blown away by the ultra-deco design, and have been unable to locate even a single other pair for the sake of comparison. I'm assuming (and this is just an "assumption") that they didn't make many such sets because they probably didn't sell- seeing as how this design is SO radically different from every other "more traditional" Roycroft bookend I've ever seen!
Oddly enough, just ONE day after I bought them I came across a Roycroft pen tray on ebay with the same mark and the same basic design, and of course I bought it immediately. Perhaps one of you has seen THIS before, if not the bookends...?
Any info would be greatly appreciated, so thanks in advance!
A beautiful set!
Really fab!
Thanks for all your comments- it's nice to hear that other collectors share the same appreciation for this highly uncommon Roycroft design! I think at the time they WEREN'T appreciated because they differ too much from the "traditional" bookend designs- which is probably why I've been unable to locate another set for comparison...
I'm not a Roycroft expert by any means, but I do agree that it's from a later period. I know there are Roycroft catalogs out there, which have many of their designs, but I don't know anyone who has these. You might try sending your photos to Paul Jackson, who has an awesome Roycroft website: http://www.roycroftbooks.org/
He might be willing to go through his catalogs to see when your bookends were made. Or perhaps he can help you find another source of information.
Thank you kindly, Stef. I just emailed Paul, and hope he'll be able to either enlighten me himself or provide contact info for another source.
Very nice bookends; I found these similar ones on the internet:http://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/18900/page1
Hi,
Yes, somewhat similar- but I've never been able to find another pair identical
to these. I "probably" overpaid for them at $360, but I simply HAD to have them because the design appealed to me so much; and they are in very good condition (unlike those at that auction link).
In hindsight, I've never regretted paying "too much" for anything I really loved,
I've only regretted missing out on those things that I let go by because, at the time, I wasn't willing to "pay the piper".....
Hi, I had just looked at your bookends (which are beautiful, by the way) when I checked on the Roycroft book page. In one of the books I think I see your bookends! http://www.roycroftbooks.org/nd4_roycroft_catalog_blacher.htm
(Sorry, I do not know how to add the hyperlink here.)
Thanks for providing the link, olivebranch!