I've sold dozens of elephant bookends over the years. Elephants have always been a classic and popular theme in "bookshelf accoutrements." I guess I also like the idea of promoting the welfare of elephants living today—both those in captivity and those in the wild.
At some point—I guess it started with the Feng Shui trend of the Oughts—a minority of customers would refuse to buy any elephant unless its trunk was turned upwards. "It is unlucky, otherwise," they would say. Now, in truth, when dealing with items made 100 years ago, there was nothing I could do to change the direction of an elephant's trunk. I would best remain happy to buy a nice elephant, regardless of the point of its proboscis. But I would also challenge the premise of the contention. Elephants in the wild—at least in all the pictures I've ever seen—would normally let their trunks hang free (at least when not rooting around the ground, searching for edibles). Most of the time, an elephant's trunk was in the "relaxed" position. "And how lucky," I would ask the customer, "could an elephant be, who is forced to hold-up his trunk for a hundred years?" I have never been a superstitious person, which is why I still believe, to this day, that any elephant is a lucky elephant. And I'm happy to enjoy the company of an elephant who chooses to relax.
This pair of cast iron bookends are notable for their handsome, deeply-sculpted modeling, their deep aged bronze patina, and (all right, I'll say it...) their trumpeting trunks. Click on the photo above to learn more about them.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
We also can be found in Pittsburgh's historic "Strip District" at Mahla & Co. Antiques (www.mahlaantiques.com) or in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania at The Antique Center of Strabane (www.antiquecenterofstrabane.com).
Or call to arrange to visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only). 917-446-4248