Add an element of early 20th-century character to your shelves with this rare, original pair of cast iron bookends. Crafted by the famous Bradley & Hubbard Manufacturing Company (Meriden, CT, active 1850s–1940s) during the height of the 1920s decorative ironware boom, these pieces are highly collectible examples of American home design history.
Each heavy-duty bookend is cast in the form of a classical Campana urn, a fluted, scroll-handled silhouette inspired by 18th-century garden ornaments. Each urn is crowned with a vibrant, three-dimensional bouquet of garden flowers rendered in high, richly textured relief. Hand-painted in soft, polychrome tones, this masterful combination of fine casting and hand-applied color is a hallmark of Bradley & Hubbard craftsmanship. Both pieces are hallmarked on the reverse with the authentic, cast-in Bradley & Hubbard "B&H" signature.
From their massive brick foundry in Meriden, Connecticut, co-founders Nathaniel Lyman Bradley and Walter Hubbard built a manufacturing empire. Over an 88-year run, they transformed utilitarian household objects into celebrated works of art, earning a reputation that collectors today often refer to as the "Tiffany of cast iron."
Bradley & Hubbard's artistic metalwork is highly sought after by collectors, with many of their cataloged designs preserved in prestigious North American museums.
Sourced in Concord, Massachusetts.
Dimensions: 6''H, 4''W, 2.5''D.
