Best Vintage Chase Art Deco Modernism Brass Copper Bookends Walter Von Nessen

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Best Vintage Chase Art Deco Modernism Brass Copper Bookends Walter Von Nessen:
$114.72

Best Vintage Chase Art Deco Modernism Brass Copper Bookends Designed by Walter Von Nessen. Each measures 5 1/2\" tall, the base is 2 1/4\" x 4 3/4\". Excellent condition with no damage, the metal has a great aged patina - check my photos. This set is not signed which simply means it is an earlier set, probably 1935 era. Absolutely guaranteed genuine Chase. Classic spiral pattern - this is an example of an item showing a link from Art Deco to Mid-Century Modern.

Walter Von Nessen

1889-1943This lighting and furniture designer was born in Germany and emigrated to the US in 1925. In 1927, he opened a studio in New York to design and fabricate architectural lighting. He was soon commissioned by architects to design lighting and other household objects and quickly became one of the pioneers in the new field of industrial design, associating with design luminaries such as Walter Dorwin Teague, Donald Deskey, Gilbert Rohde and Russel Wright.He excelled in lamp design, and he adopted the modern trends from Art Deco to functionalism. He designed a 1929 hanging fixture with eight concentric rings, alternately black and gold in color, with an indirect reflector. In the 1930s, he designed his most famous lamp—the versatile swing-arm classic—which is still being manufactured today by Nessen Lamps, Inc., successor to Nessen Studios, using von Nessen’s original fabricating methods.He simultaneously designed furniture and accessories for the Chase Brass & Copper Company, including a tubular chair exhibited at the Metropolitan and Newark Museums in 1929. His work was also shown at the 1934 Metropolitan Museum’s Exhibition of Contemporary American Industrial Art.After his death, his wife revived his studio following WW II, joined by designer Stanley Wolf who purchased the business in 1954 and continued the Von Nessen tradition with his own designs, as well as designs commissioned from Elizabeth Kauffer and George Nelson in the 1960s.

What we now callArt DecoorModerneevolved in Europe during the early 20thcentury, becoming international in scope and influence. By 1930 this new style was well established in the United States, profoundly impacting American culture through deco-inspired designs in motion picture sets, architecture, automobiles, art, and even household furnishings. American manufacturers busily interpreted the new modernist style for domestic tastes. Some of these products were outrageously\"kitschy.\"However, the wares of certain manufacturers were a significant cut above the norm. Companies such as Frankart, Sunbeam, Revere, and Manning-Bowman practiced good design sense and competence in quality manufacturing, creating products for the masses that captured the spirit of the deco era. Perhaps the most successful interpreter of the new style—in terms of both design and commercial success—was the Chase Brass & Copper Company of Waterbury, Connecticut.

Chase Brass & Copper began life in 1876 as the Waterbury Manufacturing Company, producing thousands of goods for consumer and industrial markets. In 1929, the Chase Companies (as they were known by that time), were acquired by the Kennecott Copper Corporation, and in 1936 the company was renamed the Chase Brass & Copper Company. Throughout most of the company’s earlier life, production centered around consumer and industrial products including copper pipe, buttons, screening, and novelties. By 1930, however, the Chase Companies recognized the demand for low cost, quality housewares, particularly products reflecting the modern style of the period.

There was no single reason behind the success of the Chase product line; rather, success stemmed from a combination of factors including effective marketing and promotion, well-designed products, and attention to manufacturing quality. The Chase product line was distributed through major department stores, gift shops, and jewelry stores across the country. Retailers were encouraged to establish small special departments, called\"Chase Shops,\"within their stores. The Chase advertising department provided free plans for unique shelving and display units of varying sizes and designs that could be built on-site for as little as $25. It was claimed that these boutiques greatly enhanced store traffic and sales volume. Cities as geographically and culturally diverse as New York, Hollywood, Portland (Oregon), Cleveland, and Missoula, Montana, boasted Chase Shops. It is probably no coincidence that collectible Chase is often most plentiful in and around those cities where successful Chase shops were once located.

The Chase product line of the 1930’s also thrived commercially as a direct result of the company’s practice of hiring some of the better designers of that era. Names such as Walter von Nessen, Charles Arcularius, Russell Wright, Lurelle Guild, Rockwell Kent, and the team of Gerth & Gerth, all were commissioned by Chase at one time or another. In-house designers such as Harry Laylon contributed to the strength of Chase design. Although competitors occasionally used name designers, a strong case can be made that, across the entire product line, Chase demonstrated stronger design sense and execution than any competitor.