Pioneers on the trail, by the incomparable Paul Herzel. “The Covered Wagon” made circa 1925 by the Pompeian Bronze Company, a pair of vintage electroformed bronze-clad figural book ends. Rare, not even listed in Kuritzky and De Costa, but they share the same form as "Roper" plate 2334, which are also PB/Herzel.
These bookends depict a western migration scene: A Conestoga covered wagon pulled by a pair of yoked oxen, piloted by a man with a wide brim hat. And nearby is a horse-mounted man wearing a cowboy hat. In the foreground is some sagebrush and the skull of a horned animal (possibly a cow, steer, buffalo, bison). The background features mountains and sky. On the front, below the sagebrush: "(c) Paul Herzel". On the back: "The Covered Wagon".
SPECS: Each measures about 5.6" tall by 4.6" wide by 2.5" deep, the pair weighs in at 5 lbs 10 oz. No breaks or tears in the bronze cladding. Original polychrome paint: translucent greenish-blue, and what may be translucent brownish-red on the horse-mounted rider (or it may just be copper patina).
