Skip to main content
Items Similar to Antique Bronze Champlevé Enamel Blue White Red Gold Letter Opener Desk Accessory
Antique Italian Brass Letter Opener With Pewter Dog Handle
Antique Italian Brass Letter Opener With Pewter Dog Handle
LEONID KOCHERGIN 1900 Russian Empire Enameled Letter Opener In 14Kt Gold Silver
LEONID KOCHERGIN 1900 Russian Empire Enameled Letter Opener In 14Kt Gold Silver
Late 19th Century French Neoclassical Bronze Letter Opener with Mercury Handle
Late 19th Century French Neoclassical Bronze Letter Opener with Mercury Handle
Antique French Art Nouveau Nude Girl Bronze Letter Opener, 1910s or older
Antique French Art Nouveau Nude Girl Bronze Letter Opener, 1910s or older
Antique Art Deco Art Nouveau Hammered Gilt Bronze Ormolu Floral Letter Opener
Antique Art Deco Art Nouveau Hammered Gilt Bronze Ormolu Floral Letter Opener
Antique French Art Nouveau Bronze Claw & Quill Letter Opener, 1920s
Antique French Art Nouveau Bronze Claw & Quill Letter Opener, 1920s
Video Loading
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 6

Antique Bronze Champlevé Enamel Blue White Red Gold Letter Opener Desk Accessory

$434.86
£322.35
€370VAT Included
CA$606.57
A$616.99
CHF 354.09
MX$7,416.94
NOK 4,130.43
SEK 4,169.32
DKK 2,821.41

About the Item

Antique Bronze Champlevé Enamel Blue White Red Gold Letter Opener Desk Accessory Continental Bronze, enamel Late 19th Century Dimensions: Length 17.5cm This late 19th century letter opener is a beautiful example of the long-standing tradition of letter writing. Letter openers first emerged in the 18th century, as paper became more widely used and people required a neat way to slit sealed envelopes without damaging their contents. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, they had evolved into decorative desk accessories, often crafted in bronze, silver, or brass and embellished with a variety of techniques. Designs such as this became small yet expressive canvases for artisans, blending everyday utility with artistic flair. The shaped handle is skillfully adorned with champlevé enamel, a technique in which recesses are carved or cast into a metal surface and then filled with coloured enamel. Once fired, the enamel sits flush with the surrounding metal, creating a vivid contrast between the glossy inlaid colours and the raised metal outlines. Typical enamel hues include blue, white, and red, all of which are present in this example, enhanced by finely carved scrolling floral decoration. There is a clear distinction between the handle and the blade, the latter featuring a less common form for a letter opener. Its smaller, gently curved point allows the user to insert it more easily into an envelope and open it with precision. Delicate in scale yet durable in construction, this letter opener remains perfectly usable today, a testament to its high-quality craftsmanship.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 0.79 in (2 cm)Width: 6.89 in (17.5 cm)Depth: 0.2 in (5 mm)
  • Style:
    Belle Époque (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Bronze,Enamel,Cast,Champlevé,Fired
  • Period:
    Late 19th Century
  • Date of Manufacture:
    Late 19th Century
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Beautiful and authentic, cleaned condition with slight signs of wear typical for its age.
  • Seller Location:
    Greven, DE
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU5419249291742

More From This Seller

View All
Antique Belle Époque Victorian Style Gold Pierced Brass Desk Letter Opener

Antique Belle Époque Victorian Style Gold Pierced Brass Desk Letter Opener

Antique Belle Époque Victorian Style Gold Pierced Brass Desk Letter Opener

Located in Greven, DE

Antique Belle Époque Victorian Style Gold Pierced Brass Desk Letter Opener Continental Brass c. 1900 Dimensions: Length 20.5cm This charming letter opener was crafted at the ...

Category

Early 20th Century Belle Époque Letter Openers

Materials

Brass

Antique Art Deco Art Nouveau Hammered Gilt Bronze Ormolu Floral Letter Opener

Antique Art Deco Art Nouveau Hammered Gilt Bronze Ormolu Floral Letter Opener

Antique Art Deco Art Nouveau Hammered Gilt Bronze Ormolu Floral Letter Opener

Located in Greven, DE

Antique Art Deco Art Nouveau Hammered Gilt Bronze Ormolu Floral Letter Opener Continental Bronze Early 20th Century Dimensions: Length 25.5cm Using a variety of crafting te...

Category

Early 20th Century Art Deco Letter Openers

Materials

Bronze

Antique French Art Nouveau Bronze Nature Grape Vine Letter Opener Silvestre Lyon

Antique French Art Nouveau Bronze Nature Grape Vine Letter Opener Silvestre Lyon

Antique French Art Nouveau Bronze Nature Grape Vine Letter Opener Silvestre Lyon

Located in Greven, DE

Antique French Art Nouveau Bronze Nature Grape Vine Letter Opener Silvestre Lyon France Bronze c. 1900 Dimensions: Length 28cm Showcasing the beauty of the Art Nouveau style...

Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Letter Openers

Materials

Bronze

Antique Art Nouveau French Ormolu Gilt Bronze Letter Opener E. Famin

Antique Art Nouveau French Ormolu Gilt Bronze Letter Opener E. Famin

Antique Art Nouveau French Ormolu Gilt Bronze Letter Opener E. Famin

Located in Greven, DE

Antique Art Nouveau French Ormolu Gilt Bronze Letter Opener E. Famin France Bronze Early 20th Century Dimensions: Length: 25cm This fine letter opener dates to the early 20th...

Category

Early 20th Century French Art Nouveau Letter Openers

Materials

Bronze, Ormolu

Antique Art Nouveau Bronze Gold Animal Goat Letter Opener Desk Accessory

Antique Art Nouveau Bronze Gold Animal Goat Letter Opener Desk Accessory

Antique Art Nouveau Bronze Gold Animal Goat Letter Opener Desk Accessory

Located in Greven, DE

Antique Art Nouveau Bronze Gold Animal Goat Letter Opener Desk Accessory Continental Bronze c. 1900 Dimensions: Length 23cm This letter opener was crafted around 1900, durin...

Category

Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Letter Openers

Materials

Bronze

You May Also Like

Antique French Art Nouveau Bronze Letter Opener, 1910s or earlier

Antique French Art Nouveau Bronze Letter Opener, 1910s or earlier

Antique French Art Nouveau Bronze Letter Opener, 1910s or earlier

Located in Nuernberg, DE

A beautiful antique bronze letter opener dating to the 20th Century, crafted by an unknown sculptor. This beautiful Art Nouveau piece displays graceful, flowing lines and subtle scul...

Category

20th Century French Belle Époque Letter Openers

Materials

Bronze

Elaborate 19th Century French Silver Lapis Letter Opener

Elaborate 19th Century French Silver Lapis Letter Opener

Elaborate 19th Century French Silver Lapis Letter Opener

Located in Riverdale, NY

Elaborate 19th Century Sterling Silver Gothic Revivial Lapis Lazuli and Garnet Letter Opener. French in origin set with large lapis lazuli and garnet cabochons in elaborate silver Re...

Category

Antique 1880s French Victorian Desk Accessories

Materials

Garnet, Lapis Lazuli, Silver, Sterling Silver

Antique Italian Brass Letter Opener With Pewter Dog Handle

Antique Italian Brass Letter Opener With Pewter Dog Handle

Antique Italian Brass Letter Opener With Pewter Dog Handle

Located in Esbjerg, DK

Dagger style letter opener featuring leaf-shaped blade and a handmade pewter handle depicting a hunt dog. It was made in Italy in the mid-late 19 th century by an unknown jeweler or ...

Category

Antique 19th Century Italian Victorian Letter Openers

Materials

Brass, Pewter

Antique French Art Nouveau Bronze Claw & Marble Ball Letter Opener, 1910s

Antique French Art Nouveau Bronze Claw & Marble Ball Letter Opener, 1910s

Antique French Art Nouveau Bronze Claw & Marble Ball Letter Opener, 1910s

Located in Nuernberg, DE

A beautiful antique bronze letter opener dating to the 1910s or earlier, crafted by an unknown sculptor. This beautiful Art Nouveau piece displays graceful, flowing lines and subtle ...

Category

Early 20th Century French Belle Époque Letter Openers

Materials

Marble, Bronze