George V Silver Letter Opener 'Cat'

A rare George V Silver Letter Opener, the terminal formed as a comical cat, after a design by Benjamin Rabier.

By Sampson Mordan & Co, Chester 1912.

Benjamin Rabier (1864-1939) is a French illustrator, comic book artist and animator. He became famous for creating La vache qui rit, and is one of the precursors of animal comics. His work has inspired many other artists, notably Hergé and Edmond-François Calvo. Rabier started to work as an illustrator for various newspapers after meeting Caran d'Ache. His most famous creations are Gideon the duck and the characters he drew for Le roman de Renart.

Antique silver Bookmarks come in all shapes and sizes. Many are shaped like knives or swords because at the turn of the century, many pages in books were not completely separated, so they were also used as paper cutters. Other pieces are figural, composed of animals and busts of famous people. They were used not only for function, but also as a display of wealth. Solid silver was a highly desirable material which transformed the antique silver bookmark into a status symbol, making them the coveted collectors’ items that they are today. Ranging from traditional to novelty in design, our collection showcases the finest antique silver bookmarks from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries available in the UK.

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This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

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