Antique Art Deco Figural Iron Doorstop. Likely early 20th Century. Cast iron, embossed vegetal motif, stylized ballerina anchored to a wedge-shaped wood base. 

Condition: Commensurate with age.

Size: 2 3/4 x 3 1/2 x 13 1/2 in. 

#2417 . 

A doorstop (also door stopper, door stop or door wedge) is an object or device used to hold a door open or closed, or to prevent a door from opening too widely. The doorstop can be a separate piece or integrated into the door itself with a hinge or door closer. Doorstops have existed almost as long as doors have, beginning with simple chunks of wood or even rocks that were used to hold the weight of a door open or closed. Factory-produced doorstops trace their history to the 18th Century in Europe, a quick and easy product that the rich and poor alike found extremely useful. By the mid 19th Century the wedge design was very common, and manufacturing existed in both Europe and the United States. A freed African American slave named Osbourn Dorsey is credited with the invention of the modern doorknob and doorstop, as his patent was granted by the US government (number US210764A) in 1878. He was the first to use cast iron rather than simply wood, which generated greater static friction, weighed more, and lasted much longer. Once cast iron became the mainstream material for their manufacture, they went from simple household tools to stylish decorations, with artisans applying figural and abstract shapes or even painted images. Their whimsical, historical, and functional significance has made them into a cultural touchstone for many people. A doorstop made by a Bohemian artist in the 1890s that sold for roughly $0.25 went for $4,025 in a 2008 auction, a whopping 1,609,900% return!

Commensurate with age.