vintage Armor Bronze Native American Indian bookends, painted, c.1920, John Ruhl For Sale

• Offered here is a vintage set of collectable bookends by Armor Bronze titled "Lost Trail".
• Circa 1920. They are bronze clad. The pair are partially painted and the paint is in very good condition. On the backside is the sculptor name J. Ruhl and the Armor Bronze shop mark.
• The set is 7-1/4 inches tall. This set has been called "Searching Indian" in the collecting books. Take a good look at the photos.
• The bottoms have new felts.
• Shipping is $20.
• If you have any questions please ask.
  

Most collectors are not really familiar with bronze clad bookends so here’s a little background information. Prior to 1914 just about all high-end sculptural artwork was solid bronze. About that time a company named Kathodian Bronze Works began manufacturing small sculptural artwork such as bookends (back then they were called “book rocks”) and statuary using a process imported from Europe around the turn of the century known as electroplating or electroforming. A plaster mold was made and then it was covered with graphite to allow copper or bronze to be electroplated on top of it. It was a very time-consuming process and several companies went one step further by painting the bookends in a very colorful fashion. This was a time-consuming and expensive manufacturing process. As a result of the Great Depression by the early 1930s most manufacturers had exited the business.