Martha Sleeper Carved Bakelite Four Birds on a Branch Brooch
United States · Carved Bakelite
$799.95
A figural carved Bakelite brooch by Martha Sleeper, the actress turned carver whose whimsical figurals are among the most collected work of the period. Four painted birds arranged along a carved branch.
- Maker
- Martha Sleeper
- Origin
- United States
- Era
- Martha Sleeper · Carved Bakelite · 1930s–1940s
- Materials
- Carved Bakelite
- Condition
- Very good vintage
- Provenance
- A figural carved Bakelite brooch by Martha Sleeper, the actress turned carver whose whimsical figurals are among the most collected work of the period. Four painted birds arranged along a carved branch.
Apollo Speaks
On this piece
☉
Martha Sleeper was an actress who became one of the more inventive Bakelite carvers of the 1930s and 1940s, and her figural work is among the most sought-after of the period — whimsy was the point, and she was very good at it. Here four birds rest along a carved branch, painted in green, orange, teal and black, each with a yellow beak, arranged rather than repeated, which is what separates a piece like this from the ordinary figural brooch. It measures 3.75 inches wide and 1 5/8 inches tall at its tallest point. Very good vintage condition. Figural Martha Sleeper is scarce; four birds on a single branch, more so.