These stylish Art Deco crackled ceramic bookends were created and manufactured by Onnaing, France, in the 1920s. The off-white, crackle-glaze ceramic or faience sculpture features a pair of seals or sea lions in a stylized Cubist design. The bookends are marked "Onnaing - Made in France" on the underside of each piece.
Note:
Onnaing earthenware is a type of ceramic production that developed between 1821 and 1938 in the town of Onnaing, in the Nord department of France.
Founded on February 2, 1821, by Ferdinand Louis de Bousies and his brother Charles de Bousies, Viscount of Rouveroy, the Onnaing earthenware factory was initially a new establishment of the Belgian factory in Nimy, intended to circumvent customs duties.
From the end of the 19th Century, the Onnaing factory grew to employ five hundred workers. It benefits from the rail network extension, which allows it to source raw materials and export its production.
The destruction due to World War I strongly affected the factory: ovens, molds, and buildings were damaged.
Production restarted in 1921 but did not return to the manufacturing levels of the early 20th Century.
The demand also evolved, and manufacturing ceased in 1938. The factory was liquidated in 1947.
Onnaing Art Deco Crackle Ceramic Seal Sculpture Bookends
circa 1920

