Trompe l'oeil Carved Wooden Envelope bronze chop 4 1/2" long x 1

4 1/2" long x 1 5/8" tall x 1" deep

I would guess this piece dates to the mid 20th century

A lovely gift for him or her

though the individual components are so nicely crafted and great looking

This one--made of what appears to be ebony

Trompe l'oeil Carved Wooden Envelope bronze chop 4 1/2" long x 1I'm not sure if 3 dimensional objects can actually qualify as trompe 'loeil, but I'm using the term to describe this wonderful carved envelope anyway! First, it is the size of an real small envelope, and second, the manner of the carving in relation to the color and grain of the wood creates the appearance of faux shadows (on top of real ones), crinkles, and the bulk of a letter inside. I'm not good identifying woods, but it seems an ususual one