Featured Art Deco Bronze & Stone Bookends; One of an Identical Pair

She is a little over 6" high; the ball is about ⅜" in diameter.
Is she Urania? What would you say the stone is? There are no marks at all on her, nor on the stone.

 

She's very elegant

 

I don't see her as the Muse Urania.



This figure is Fortuna, but don't think your girls is meant for her either:



Your piece looks like one of a pair of bookends & the lady is more of a dancer, in that stylized art deco mode:

https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/d...ng-lady-ball-late-20th-century/id-f_17728891/

 

I see onyx..

 

I've always thought of Onyx as Obsidian-like in color; Black. 'Tain't so, come to find out! Who'd a thunk it?

 

I'm once again humbled, Bronwen...as much by your understanding as, in this instance, your possession of stunning examples to substantiate your thoughtful responses. Bravo!

 

Bronwen humbly admits she did not look closely at the title, or she would have seen that you already know perfectly well it's a bookend.

Now, on this subject:

The word 'onyx' comes from the Greek for fingernail. These days, in the US at least, when people say 'onyx', they really mean black onyx, which is something that does not occur in nature; it is dyed to be that dark. This is such a common, widespread & ancient practice that it is not considered necessary to mention it.

The stone used for the second cameo of Urania I showed is designated as sardonyx: the background layer is dark brown sard; the figure is engraved in the onyx layer. It is all the mineral chalcedony, a form of quartz. Carnelian/cornelian is in this family, as are bloodstone & jasper.

The material used for the bookends is also commonly called onyx. However, my very good gemstone book calls it 'onyx-marble', a stone quite different in composition & properties than chalcedony onyx, the mineral the Greeks had in mind. It is calcium carbonate based, much softer than the silicon-based quartz.

 

You must be reading a New Age/healing stone definitions. Onyx is black and white banded chalcedony/agate.Black onyx does occur naturally,though most pieces sold today are dyed chalcedony. Info here... https://www.google.com/search?sourc...HT9dDxsQjJkEegQILhAC&biw=1231&bih=642&dpr=1.3

 

Back lit onyx panels are now a thing in architecture:
https://www.bhandarimarblegroup.com/most-beautiful-stone-backlighting-onyx-marble/

I think the theme here relates more to rhythmic dancing as an expression of elegance. Here's the extreme of it as a gymnastic sport:
[hMEDIA=youtube]Jkv5zTHjDTQ[/MEDIA]

 

Where was she bought? If this was mine, my first thought would be that this is italian piece and that represent player of bocce. Because in the middle of the century they were obsessed with onyx in Italy and made everything from it I have table lamps that where made with onyx that I am just dealing with. I hope it helps with identification in some way...

 

Onyx, yes. You'd have to see what her companion was doing to be sure (she might have held a cricket bat, who knows); maybe she's just a sport player, but could very well be a mythological subject--both were popular at the time. Even though part of a set, I think she holds her ground on her own, this is especially apparent when looking at the first pic. Very good find!

 

PreviewPreview1:41Ekaterina Volkova Ball - Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup ...YouTube · Voimisteluliitto1 minute, 41 seconds · Mar 16, 2016

 

Her companion is identical. The only difference between these two bookends is the variation in the stone...which I'll photograph & post here for y'alls delight.