Five cast bronze desk accessories by Max Le Verrier (1891-1973), 1930s - 1960s, relief cast with a verdigris finish, comprising a pen tray with Assyrian battle scenes, a paper clip and letter rack both with Louis XIV motifs, a dish depicting Charles V, and a 1918-1968 fifty year commemorative dish depicting a sculptor, after Giotto, all with incised signatures and various marks verso, height 5.51 in., width 11.61 in., depth 2.56 in., (letter rack)
- Incised - A record of a name, date or inscription, or a decoration scratched into a surface, usually of a glass or ceramic item with a blunt instrument to make a coarse indentation. Compare with engraving where the surface is cut with a sharp instrument such as a metal needle or rotating tool to achieve a fine indentation.
- Bronze - An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.
The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.
It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture.
- Verso - Verso is the "back" side of a sheet of paper, art work, coin or medal. The front side is "recto".
- Louis Xiv - Louis XIV (1638 – 1715), known as Louis the Great or the Sun King, ruled through Cardinal Mazarin as chief minister from 1643 to 1661 and as monarch of the House of Bourbon and King of France and Navarre from 1661 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years is one of the longest in French and European history.
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