Pair of Belgian Art Deco Brass VasesSigned A. Ducobu, Marine Scene on Onyx Bases — Belgium, circa 1930

DETAILS:
Material: patinated and etched brass cups; square onyx bases
Style/Period: Belgian Art Deco dinanderie, circa 1930 — signed A. Ducobu
Shipping: professionally packed, fully insured, worldwide
Condition: Good vintage condition with signs of use, including oxidation and surface marks to the decorated brass and small nicks to the onyx base edges.
Returns: accepted within 30 days

Belgian dinanderie — the tradition of worked brass and copper that takes its name from the town of Dinant on the Meuse — was one of the great craft traditions of northern Europe. By the Art Deco period, the Belgian workshops had brought this ancient metalworking skill into the twentieth century with considerable sophistication: etched and patinated surfaces, geometric forms, and the kind of pictorial decoration that used the warm tones of the brass itself as part of the composition. A signed piece of Belgian Art Deco dinanderie is a specific and collected category, and A. Ducobu is a name associated with work of genuine quality.

This pair is Belgian, circa 1930, signed A. Ducobu, each cup a flared trumpet form in patinated brass on a square onyx base — the dark lacquered exterior of the cup contrasting with the warm gold of the rim interior and the brass stem and base. Around the body of each cup, a marine scene is etched and painted in the Art Deco manner: a sailing vessel in full sail, mountains in the middle distance, birds in flight above a horizon line — the composition rendered in the warm copper and terra tones of the brass beneath the lacquer, the areas of sky and sea defined by the contrast between the dark ground and the exposed metal. Note how the scene wraps continuously around the cup rather than sitting in a framed panel — the decoration following the form rather than being applied to it, the discipline of a craftsman who understood that a cup is seen from every angle. The square onyx bases are warm amber-yellow, each piece slightly different in its veining as onyx always is.

The brass is sound across both cups; the patina and etched decoration are present and consistent. Some interior oxidation is visible as noted — the honest evidence of age in a metal vessel — and the surfaces carry the light marks of vintage use, as photographed. Both bases are firm.

They arrive professionally packed and fully insured. Returns are accepted within 30 days.

Condition

Read our condition standard. Please ask if you need additional photographs or measurements.

A decorative style is not a guarantee of a particular maker or date. See the individual listing for the stated attribution and period.

Worldwide delivery is included in the price. Every piece is individually packed, tracked and fully insured. No shipping charge is added at checkout. If your destination is not listed, please contact us before ordering.

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Delivery information

Notify us within 30 days of delivery if you wish to return a piece. No reason is required. Returns are free within the Netherlands and Belgium; from elsewhere you pay return shipping for a change-of-mind return.

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