Palais Royal - Abrecartas - Nácar

Antique French Palais Royal Style Solid Mother-of-Pearl Letter Opener / Paper knife c.1860–1890

Beautiful antique solid mother-of-pearl letter opener / paper knife, believed to date from the mid-to-late 19th century.

The piece is finely carved throughout, with ornate leaf and feather decoration to both ends and a delicate rope-twist border around the central section. The mother-of-pearl has a superb natural iridescence, showing pink, green, blue and silver tones as it catches the light.

This is a substantial piece at approximately 22cm long, made from genuine solid nacre rather than imitation material.

The style is consistent with French Palais Royal type luxury desk accessories produced during the Victorian period, although there is no visible maker's mark, so I am listing it as Palais Royal style rather than making a definite attribution.

Condition: Good antique condition overall with age-related surface wear, light marks and natural variation to the shell. There appears to be a small chip/edge loss near the rounded end of the blade, shown clearly in the photographs. The carved decoration remains crisp and attractive.

A particularly decorative and unusual antique desk accessory, ideal for collectors of mother-of-pearl, Palais Royal objects, Victorian deskware or antique writing accessories.

Please study all photographs carefully as they form part of the description.