Letter Opener with Silver Beads on Handle and Large Silver

A row of silver beads runs along the handle and resolves in a large silver loop at the end, giving this letter opener a clear, useful balance between blade and grip. It is recorded in Penny C. Morrill's William Spratling and the Mexican Silver Renaissance: Maestros de Plata, the standard study of the maker and his workshop.

The design is close to a version made with a tortoise shell handle, an instance of the workshop reworking a single form across materials. Spratling's letter openers were part of a broad line of useful silver objects he designed, drawing on the same design instincts that shaped his jewelry; Morrill records his attention to the comfortable shape and feel of such handheld objects (Morrill, p. 66).

Functional silver from the Taller de las Delicias is collected alongside the jewelry, and a documented letter opener of this beaded design is a desirable example of that part of the output.