What this is

This is a hand-shaped fasces inspired by the fasces behind the Speaker of the House’s dais in Washington, DC—built as a dense, display-ready object intended for a desk, shelf, or paperweight use.

It is just shy of 8 inches long and intentionally heavy. The interior body is metal (copper + zinc core), giving it the feel of a serious object rather than a hollow prop. The exterior is a hand-finished bronzed surface with a museum-grade wax finish so it sits comfortably in the hand and reads convincingly under normal room lighting.

Materials, weight, and finish

The core weight is substantial—about half a pound (shown in the scale photo), heavier than $10 in quarters. The finish is built for handling: a hard, durable exterior with a waxed surface that gives a warm, tactile grip.

This piece is designed to function both as a display object and as a practical desk weight. It stands and photographs well against dark backgrounds, and it also reads cleanly at a distance as a bundled-rod form with an axe head—recognizable even to non-specialists.

The fasces symbol, in plain terms

The fasces originated in Etruscan and Roman practice as a symbol of lawful authority: a bundled set of rods bound together (collective strength) often paired with an axe (power to punish). The core visual idea is “strength through unity,” which is why the fasces reappears in later civic and governmental symbolism, including in U.S. architecture. In the 20th century, the fasces was also adopted by Italian Fascism.

Display notes

The photo set shows multiple angles, close-ups of the axe head and binding detail, a ruler photo for size, and a scale photo for weight. Made in the USA.