Antique French bronze paperweight

Pressepapier - France - Napoleon III period - Late 1800s - Gilded bronze.

French pressepapier (we antique dealers put on a bit of airs: more commonly known as a paperweight) entirely in gilded and sculpted bronze, depicting a bird of prey taking flight.

Note the skill in embossing the plumage, Napoleon III era, around the end of the 19th century.

Good size and heavy as any self-respecting paperweight should be, perfect condition.

Now a purely decorative object and like everything that was once useful but is no longer, presses have become antique collector's items.