Bronze Age Gold from Wales

One of a pair of slate bookends made by the late Mr William J. (‘Bill’) Rice. A spiral pattern (which is a characteristic of Mr Rice’s work) is ground into three sides of each bookend; one side of each bookend is smoothly polished; and the bottom of each bookend is covered in green felt. Mr Rice was a craftsman who made various objects e.g. bowls of various sizes, plates and platters, urns, vases, sundials, slate clocks, and bookends by turning slate. In 1990 Mr Rice turned his hobby of creating slate objects into a full time business (Pant Hwfa Fine Slate Crafts), selling the goods to shops such as Craft Centre Cymru, and the National Slate Museum’s gift shop. The slate objects were created on a custom made machine which Mr Rice developed and changed over the years as his craft evolved. Mr Rice is work is characterised by the fact that he turned slate in order to create bowls and plates up to 18inches in diameter, and also by the fact that his pieces were ground in such a way as to give the surface of the slate stippled, spiralling, patterned effects. Mr Rice’s slate objects are now considered to be works of art, demonstrating the beauty of slate. Following Mr Rice is death in 2008 an auction of his remaining slate objects was held at Rogers Jones a Co Auction Rooms, Colwyn Bay on the 29th July 2008. These bookends were purchased at the auction.