Pair of brass and Bakelite art deco machine age bookends by Walter von Nessen for Chase, c.1930s, USA. The pair of bookends feature geometric representations of toy soldiers standing rigidly at attention next to a solid brass sphere symbolizing a cannonball.
The Chase Brass and Copper Company of Waterbury, Connecticut, was founded in 1876, and for most of its existence produced industrial metal parts. During the 1930s, part of their focus shifted to the production of decorative objects and housewares. They commissioned notable industrial designers such as Walter von Nessen and Russel Wright to develop products for their burgeoning line.
The onset of WW2 ceased production of their housewares as the factory turned to manufacturing military products and parts. Following the end of the war, Chase did not return to producing decorative items, making the existing pieces they produced quite rare and desirable.
