Renaissance Revival Letter Opener and Stand, English, c1900
Current Bid: | £10.00 |
Bid Increment: | £1.00 |
Next Min Bid: | £11.00 |
Buyer’s Premium: | £2.40 |
Total Amount: | £12.40 |
Number of Bids: | 3 |
Location: | United Kingdom |
Highest Bidder: | User 1402 |
Auction Start: | 21/07/24 19:15:00 UTC |
Auction Ending: | 04/08/24 19:16:00 UTC |
Auction Finished : | 04/08/24 19:16:29 UTC |
LOT NUMBER 9
Renaissance Revival Letter Opener and Stand, English, c1900
This is a desk set item comprising a rectangular brass stand on four short feet with a pair of double scalloped supports on one of which can be set a brass letter opener. Both pieces are heavily cast with stylised scrolling leaf work and mask heads, a style of the decoration which loosely recalls pieces from the classical period and reflects one of the design fashions of the late nineteenth century which looked back to and developed variants on renaissance art. The ‘renaissance revival’ style could be found in many areas of the arts including architecture and interior decoration. Accessories were also produced to match, of which this and the desk set also included in this sale are prime examples. Although the letter opener is stamped with a registered number (‘Rd No 22695’) the manufacturer cannot be determined, but was almost certainly English with a production date of around 1900. The form of the supports implies that two items were displayed on the stand, the second probably being a book knife for slitting pages edges as was commonly required over one hundred years ago. If so, its loss is regrettable but not fatal. Modern books thankfully require less exertion from their readers!Size: | Base 19 x 9 cm, letteropener 19 x 9 cm |
Weight: | 510 grams for both |
Date: | 1900 |
Condition: | Good condition; presumably missing a second desk item, probably a book knife |
Estimate: | £20 – 30 |