Set of early 20th century french Art Déco zamac winged cherub/fairy child bookends with marble base By: unknown Material: aluminum, bronze, marble, metal, zinc, copper Technique: cast, polished, metalwork, patinated Dimensions: 5 in x 5 in x 7 in Date: early 20th century Style: Art Déco, Victorian, Neoclassicism Place of origin: France This striking pair of bookends exhibits the ornate sculptural style and motifs of the Victorian era. Crafted from zamac, an alloy of zinc, aluminum, magnesium and copper, the bookends depict a pair of winged cherubim figures. Their forms reflect the prevalent aesthetic of putti and celestial beings found in Victorian sculpture and decor. Each cherub reclines gracefully on a book sculpted from the same metal alloy. The cherubs are positioned on rectangular pedestals of dark marble. Cherubim were a common motif in Victorian era decorative arts, their angelic forms expressing romanticism and spiritual symbolism. This carried into Art Deco sculpture, as cherubs and other neoclassical elements granted a sense of grandeur. Yet Art Déco work modernized and abstracted these figures into sleeker forms stripped of ornate detail. Cherubs emerged as a bridge between traditional iconography and the clean lines of 20th century style.