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ID #SA1032202
FOR SALE
£225
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French Gilded Bronze Letter Opener
For sale by Digby Antiques (Wiltshire)
for sale €263     $286
£225
Digby Antiques (Wiltshire)

Digby Antiques (Wiltshire)

Sellingantiques Verified Since Dec 2020
Browse dealers 145 items
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Id #SA1032202
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French Gilded Bronze Letter Opener

1900 - 1920
Description

A beautifully detailed French gilded bronze letter opener signed A Gangand.

I believe this may have been designed and made to commemorate WW1 and is circa 1919.

The design is made up two swords (bayonets) one down each side, a military hat towards the top (Kepi) and intertwined with leaves.

Signed to the reverse.

Excellent condition.

Date of Manufacture

Digby Antiques (Wiltshire) has dated this Gilt Bronze Letter Opener to the 1920s.

Independent Date Check ID 08225414
Dealer's Item Date1920s
Sellingantiques Date1920s
Sellingantiques agingItem 95-110 years old
Test ResultsPassed dating check
Why Sellingantiques dated this piece to THE 1920s:
Incised signature 'A. GANGAND' on the reverse: maker's mark.
First World War iconography: military cap, bayonets and commemorative laurel garland.
Openwork cast bronze: typical early 20th-century desk accessory casting.
Gentle rubbing through the patinated finish on the edges: long handling.

This is an independent date and photo anotation report compiled by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. The process uses the photographs shown on this page. The system is never told the date the dealer has declared. This report shows that the two dates corroborate.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Reference
SA1032202
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Description
A beautifully detailed French gilded bronze letter opener signed A Gangand.

I believe this may have been designed and made to commemorate WW1 and is circa 1919.

“
The design is made up two swords (bayonets) one down each side, a military hat towards the top (Kepi) and intertwined with leaves.
Digby Antiques (Wiltshire)

Signed to the reverse.

Excellent condition.

Date of Manufacture

Digby Antiques (Wiltshire) has dated this Gilt Bronze Letter Opener to the 1920s.

Independent Date Report ID 08225414
Dealer's Item Date1920s
Sellingantiques dating1920s
Sellingantiques agingItem 95-110 years old
Test ResultsPassed dating check
Why Sellingantiques dated this piece to the 1920s:
Incised signature 'A. GANGAND' on the reverse: maker's mark.
First World War iconography: military cap, bayonets and commemorative laurel garland.
Openwork cast bronze: typical early 20th-century desk accessory casting.
Gentle rubbing through the patinated finish on the edges: long handling.

This is an independent date report produced by Sellingantiques using its own proprietary system. The process uses the photographs shown on this page. The system is never told the date the dealer has declared. This report shows that the two dates corroborate.

Reference Numbers
Sellingantiques Ref
SA1032202
Digby Antiques (Wiltshire)
Digby Antiques (Wiltshire)
Sellingantiques verified Since Dec 2020
Dealer Profile

You can view the stock and full dealer information on the Digby Antiques (Wiltshire) Profile Page

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A French gilt bronze letter opener featuring pierced leaf motifs and a sculpted foliage handle.
1 / 7
Archive I A French gilt bronze letter opener featuring pierced leaf motifs and a sculpted foliage handle.

French Gilded Bronze Letter Opener

Archive II A French gilt bronze letter opener featuring pierced leaf motifs and a sculpted foliage handle. View II
Archive III A French gilt bronze letter opener featuring pierced leaf motifs and a sculpted foliage handle. View III
Archive IV A French gilt bronze letter opener featuring pierced leaf motifs and a sculpted foliage handle. View IV
Archive V A French gilt bronze letter opener featuring pierced leaf motifs and a sculpted foliage handle. View V
Archive VI A French gilt bronze letter opener featuring pierced leaf motifs and a sculpted foliage handle. View VI
Archive VII A French gilt bronze letter opener featuring pierced leaf motifs and a sculpted foliage handle. View VII
Enlarged Archival View
Digby Antiques (Wiltshire)

Digby Antiques (Wiltshire)
Telephone 07710 931929
Location
Wiltshire
United Kingdom
Dealer Profile Page sellingantiques.co.uk/digbyantiqueswiltshire
Verified Since Dec 2020
Items For Sale 145
Items Sold 923
Digby Antiques (Wiltshire)
Digby Antiques (Wiltshire)
Verified Since Dec 2020
View Dealer Info
Location: Wiltshire, United Kingdom
Profile: sellingantiques.co.uk/digbyantiqueswiltshire
Verified
Dec 2020
For Sale
145
Sold
923
A French gilt bronze letter opener featuring pierced leaf motifs and a sculpted foliage handle.
French gilded bronze letter opener
Ref: SA1032202
A French gilt bronze letter opener featuring pierced leaf motifs and a sculpted foliage handle.
Detail View 1
Detail View 2
Detail View 3
Detail View 4
Detail View 5
Detail View 6
Archival Detail

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Cataloguer’s note

Written by Sellingantiques from the dealer’s photographs and listing
  • ObjectLetter Openers
  • Period1900 - 1920
  • StyleArt Nouveau
  • MaterialGilt Bronze, Bronze
  • ColourAged Gold
  • MotifsPierced foliage, Leaf scrollwork, Sculpted handle

This French Art Nouveau letter opener dates from 1920. It comprises a gilded bronze construction displaying an aged gold colour palette, combined with a cast and pierced metal finish. The handle features sculpted foliage depicting a military kepi hat, alongside two bayonet swords running along each side of the blade. The blade contains openwork decoration incorporating pierced foliage and leaf scrollwork, while the reverse holds a signature by A Gangand. Measuring 25 cm in length, the piece displays visible surface patination and metallic oxidation along the relief carvings. Suitable for display on an office desk within a gentleman's library, the item serves practical correspondence opening functions alongside decorative desk accessories. The accessory integrates easily into traditional study environments as a functional stationery tool.

FAQs

Gilt bronze, also known as ormolu, became prominent in France during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Craftsmen used fire-gilding processes to apply gold amalgam to cast bronze, producing decorative pieces such as letter openers, inkwells, and clock cases for wealthy households.

Paper knives and letter openers were manufactured from durable or noble materials, including cast bronze, brass, sterling silver, mother-of-pearl, tortoise shell, and carved bone. Gilt bronze was favoured for its heavy weight and metallic shine.

Authentic period pieces exhibit crisp hand-chased details, structural weight, and natural wear or oxidisation in crevices. Castings often feature foundry marks, maker stamps, or hand-tooling marks underneath or along edges.

An antique letter opener functions well as a decorative object when laid across a leather blotter, displayed atop a stack of books, or arranged inside a shallow tray on an office desk or bookshelf.

Dust regularly using a soft, dry microfibre cloth or camel-hair brush. Avoid harsh chemical polishes, abrasive cleansers, or immersion in water, as these treatments strip original gilding and historic patina.
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