Pair Of Don Quixote And Sancho Panza Bookends In Carved Wood, Mid 20th Century

Original pair of bookends bearing the image of the two heroes of Cervantes' novel, Don Quixote and his faithful valet Sancho Panza. The two carved wooden characters are each represented sitting on an armchair. Sancho Panza hides a bag of provisions underneath him, his main concern being, as his name suggests, to fill his belly. Don Quixote, for his part, is seated above books, thus symbolizing his obsession with the works of chivalry that he collects in his library in a pathological way, to the point of having visions of them and believing himself to be invested with a mission to slay evil and protect the oppressed. This also explains why he is represented with a sabre in his hand with at his feet the severed head of one of the giants he believes he is chasing. Note a few small wormholes in places (see photos). Published in two parts, in 1605 and then in 1615, Cervantes' book with its picaresque narrative is a parody of medieval mores and the chivalric ideal within Spanish society at the beginning of the 17th century, whose narrative techniques made it undoubtedly the very first modern novel. Dimensions of the Don Quixote bookend: 14 cm long x 9.5 cm wide x 21.5 cm high Dimensions of the Sancho Panza bookend: 14 cm long x 9.5 cm wide x 19.5 cm high.