Pair of Mid-Century Balinese Art Deco Mahogany Maiden Bookends – Keradjinan Bali Stamped

Details

Description

An extraordinary, investment-grade pair of matching mid-century Balinese Art Deco bookends depicting seated maidens holding ceremonial offering vessels. Standing 10 … Read more An extraordinary, investment-grade pair of matching mid-century Balinese Art Deco bookends depicting seated maidens holding ceremonial offering vessels. Standing 10 1/2 inches tall, this exceptional set represents a pristine pinnacle of the post-war Indonesian woodcarving renaissance, bearing the official, historic "KERADJINAN BALI" fine arts guild stamp on the under-bases alongside vintage matching numerical inventory collection labels numbered 22.
The bookends display a breathtaking command of elegant Art Deco geometry, structural symmetry, and fluid contours. Each maiden is hand-carved in a graceful posture against a smooth, arched architectural book-stop pillar, featuring a beautifully elongated profile, serene downcast facial features, and hair elegantly bound up with small floral accents. In their laps, they delicately handle traditional lidded offering jars detailed with crisp geometric incisions.
Carved from solid, remarkably dense blocks of premium tropical Mahogany wood, the pieces boast a uniform warm chestnut-to-chocolate timber coloration with an exceptionally smooth, hand-polished surface texture that yields a magnificent satin gallery luster. Entirely stable and structurally flawless, this monumental pair is completely free of any chips, splits, cracks, or restorations.

Art Movement: Balinese Modernist Art Deco / Mid-Century Guild Era

Region of Origin: Mas, Ubud District, Bali, Indonesia

Provenance Guild: Keradjinan Bali Arts Council (Official Ink Stamps & Matching Labels)

Artist: Unsigned Artisan Master

Material: Selected Solid Premium Tropical Hardwood (Mahogany / Sono Variant)

Condition: Pristine vintage condition; 100% structurally complete with no checking, fractures, or blemishes; wood fibers are beautifully hydrated with a smooth satin patina.

Dimensions
Bookend 1: 10 1/2" H x 5 1/4" W x 4" D
Bookend 2: 10 1/2" H x 4 1/2" W x 4" D

Estimated Era
Circa 1950s (The Early Guild Boom)
The specific linguistic character and layout of the official Keradjinan Bali ink stamp (the vintage spelling for "Craftsmanship of Bali") definitively isolates this set to the late 1940s and 1950s, a timeframe when regional masterworks were meticulously curated for high-end international designer boutiques and global exhibitions. See less