A charming pair of mid century solid brass fantail doves, tail feathers fanned high behind them. The design is beautifully pared back — smooth, sculptural curves and a proud, puffed chest — with the warm, mellow patina you want from vintage brass.
Doves in pairs traditionally symbolise devotion, as the birds mate for life. These were popular from the 1950s through the 1970s, and it was Picasso’s famous 1949 lithograph that made the dove the modern symbol of peace. They sit beautifully on a bookshelf, windowsill or sideboard.
Very good vintage condition with a soft aged patina; felt pads to the bases.
One-of-a-kind — once they’ve flown, they’re gone.
MEASUREMENTS
Each dove: 6 cm high x 6 cm long (approx. 2.4 in x 2.4 in)
Sold as a pair.
CURIOUS FACT
The dove became the modern symbol of peace largely because of Picasso. In 1949 he drew a simple lithograph of a dove — actually a pigeon given to him by his friend Matisse — and it was chosen as the emblem of the World Peace Congress in Paris, spreading across posters, murals and stamps worldwide.
His love of doves ran deep: his father was an artist whose speciality was painting them, and pigeons were among the very first things young Pablo ever drew. The same year he created the peace dove, his daughter was born — he named her Paloma, Spanish for dove.
So a pair like this isn’t just a pretty mid century ornament. It’s part of a chain running from a little boy sketching his father’s pigeons to one of the most famous images of the twentieth century.
A charming pair of mid century solid brass fantail doves, tail feathers fanned high behind them. The design is beautifully pared back — smooth, sculptural curves and a proud, puffed chest — with the warm, mellow patina you want from vintage brass.
Doves in pairs traditionally symbolise devotion, as the birds mate for life. These were popular from the 1950s through the 1970s, and it was Picasso’s famous 1949 lithograph that made the dove the modern symbol of peace. They sit beautifully on a bookshelf, windowsill or sideboard.
Very good vintage condition with a soft aged patina; felt pads to the bases.
One-of-a-kind — once they’ve flown, they’re gone.
MEASUREMENTS
Each dove: 6 cm high x 6 cm long (approx. 2.4 in x 2.4 in)
Sold as a pair.
CURIOUS FACT
The dove became the modern symbol of peace largely because of Picasso. In 1949 he drew a simple lithograph of a dove — actually a pigeon given to him by his friend Matisse — and it was chosen as the emblem of the World Peace Congress in Paris, spreading across posters, murals and stamps worldwide.
His love of doves ran deep: his father was an artist whose speciality was painting them, and pigeons were among the very first things young Pablo ever drew. The same year he created the peace dove, his daughter was born — he named her Paloma, Spanish for dove.
So a pair like this isn’t just a pretty mid century ornament. It’s part of a chain running from a little boy sketching his father’s pigeons to one of the most famous images of the twentieth century.
