What is an antique table ornament?

An antique table ornament is a decorative small-scale sculpture, silver novelty, or functional display piece created to adorn dining tables, sideboards, and desks in past centuries. These objects include cast bronze animals, silver pepper pots shaped like birds, glass bell jars, and carved wooden figures spanning the Victorian, Edwardian, and Art Deco periods.

How were silver table ornaments used?

Silver table ornaments often served dual purposes as decorative conversation pieces and functional items for formal dining. Examples include silver animal figures containing salt cellars or pepper shakers, alongside specialised menu holders placed beside each guest's setting.

How do I identify Art Deco bronze figures?

Art Deco bronze figures typically display stylized geometries, sleek lines, and subjects such as dancers, athletes, and birds created during the 1920s and 1930s. Many of these pieces utilise spelter or patinated bronze combined with marble bases or ivory elements, reflecting the modern aesthetic of the interwar period.

Where were cold-painted bronzes made?

Cold-painted bronzes were predominantly produced in Vienna during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries by specialised foundries. These colourful figures depict human figures, animals, and orientalist subjects using hand-applied paint over cast bronze bases.