c.1920s one-of-a-kind Compass Rose Bookends, Artisan-made of INCH THICK Brass Slabs

Almost certainly one-of-a-kind, maker unknown. Fabricated using four slabs of nearly ONE INCH THICK solid brass plate. Bronze Compass Rose on the front of each. For lovers of old maps and the simple geometric shapes of the Arts and Crafts Movement. A stunning addition to any Craftsman-style home.

Petite in size at about 5 inches tall but weighing more than 13 pounds the pair, the exact age of this fabulous maker’s endeavor is anyone’s guess, judging by patina, style and craftsmanship, perhaps 1910s, 1920s or 1930s Art Deco era.

Upon handling these antique vintage bookends the first thing you will notice is their surprisingly heavy weight — that because each is made out of two slabs of nearly one-inch thick solid brass plate! Caliper reading of 0.890 inch thickness, to be precise. On the front of each is a three-dimensional four-point “compass rose” in darker, contrasting, bronze.

A compass rose, sometimes called a wind rose, rose of the winds or compass star, is a figure on a compass, map, nautical chart, or monument used to display the orientation of the cardinal directions (north, east, south, and west) and their intermediate points. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compass_rose

Each bookend measures a petite 5.165 inches tall, base 3.965 inches square. Each bookend a hefty 6.5+ pounds, the pair weighs in at a whopping 13.1 pounds.

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Construction is a nearly-inch-thick square brass base with a second square brass plate of same thickness mounted “on a corner” so as to appear diamond-shaped; the edges of both plates are “dimpled” (unknown to us as to how the artist created this elegant wavy pattern). Since one of the original felt pads was missing, we’ve replaced the pads with a high-quality rubber mat of suitable density for their weight. The maker used a single-screw to hold the pieces together and a steel pin to prevent any rotation of the vertical plate — a very sound and solid design (see the photo taken prior to the new rubber pads glued to the bottoms).

A fantastic artisan handmade pair of vintage bookends, wonderful functional decorative sculpture-like decor for your American Craftsman home. Also a great gift for anyone who loves old maps & nautical charts, too, any collector of antique surveyor instruments (compass, transit, theodolite, etc.)