News2024-10-28T19:12:24+00:00

BBC news on forthcoming Knox exhibition

BBC Isle of Man has covered the pre-launch of the forthcoming Knox Exhibition to be held from April 2025 to March 2026 at the Douglas Museum. See this link.  There will be a series of lectures and events at the opening, including talks by Dr Steve Martin and myself.  Book your flight!

November 9, 2024|

St Pancras key “goes home”

One of the pleasures of being a dealer is helping items find the right home. That was very much the case for this splendid Birmingham Guild of Handicraft key that was used at the 1937 opening of St Pancras Town Hall, latterly Camden Town Hall. Located opposite St Pancras Station, the Hall is undergoing a remarkable transformation. This stunning neo-classical building will soon be a special event space boasting a versatile layout featuring a main hall (one of central London’s largest), two smaller venues, and dedicated workspaces on the upper floors. The versatile venue, slated to open in Winter 2024, will cater to events of various sizes. Whether the key is to be used at its opening or simply displayed remains to be seen.

September 26, 2024|

New Christopher Dresser research

I retrieved some original Hukin / Dresseer registered designs for 1881 claret jugs from the National Archives. This threw up two insights. One being that the jugs were entered as “coffee percolators?” I am sure their radical design confusing the registrar. Also written below the designs is “metal protected only”, suggesting the bottle shapes could be copied, as we do see by other manufacturers of the period. Full details at this link.

April 12, 2024|

Alexander Fisher and the Lusitania

A bit of random research has revealed that Fisher was commissioned to make two plaques for the Lusitania. See the atteched newspaper article. The Lusitania was sunk in 1915 quite probably taking the plaques with it, though just possibly they would have been removed on the ship’s conversion to a merchant ship for the war effort. I think you can see one of the plaques in the main lounge of the Lusitania in the attached image. The frame of the picture looks like Fisher’s work and I am guessing the figure is rising from the sea and hence the title “Theconquest of the sea”.


January 14, 2024|

Mary Thew or Ida Heynes?

Recently listed are a striking spoon and knife set, inlaid with abalone and very much in the style of Mary Thew. Unmarked. But are they by little known Ida Heynes. See this link for full research.

December 9, 2023|

Panther handled askos jugs

I have listed another amazing jug in solid silver in this ancient form and updated my research into the Collection’s original Melillo askos. For that new research see this link.

November 20, 2023|

Glasgow School swallow brooch returned to family

I am delighted to have sold the Collection’s utterly brilliant Peter Wylie Davidson “swallow in clouds” brooch to Wylie Davidson’s descendants. Five of these brooches were made for the women in his family and this one has returned home. For details on the brooch see this link.

November 8, 2023|

Best in Fair at LAPADA

I am delighted to announce that the Collection’s Ashbee claret jug was voted “Best in Fair – Silver” at the LAPADA Berkeley Square Fair.

September 27, 2023|

The Potteries Guild

I have been doing a little research into the Potteries Guild (also the Potteries Cripples Guild of Handicraft) , the forerunner of the Duchess of Sutherland Cripples Guild, and came across a 1904 newspaper reference (November 4th, The Clarion, page 5) “That the best work of the Potteries Guild is undoubtedly that made for the “Frame Food Factory“. Curious, I found that the Frame Food Factory was/is an outstanding building in Southfields SW18, built c 1903, to make baby food, now converted into flats. More details at this link. I have found no pictures of the interior but I assume the sculptural roof finials or spires visible in the images below are by The Potteries Guild.

August 19, 2023|

New book published

A wonderful new book has been published by the collector John Davis “20th Century British silver caddy spoons and spoons”. The introduction being by myself and published below. If you are interested in a copy simply email me.

June 13, 2023|

New Dawson sketches found

For those that know the Artificers Guild archive held at Goldsmith Hall Library, it contains thousands of wonderful sketches and water colour designs of the Guild. Nearly all are clearly by Edward Spencer and John Bonnor and date from the period after 1909 when Spencer took over the Guild. On a recent trip to the Archive I found this sketch of what is very clearly Nelson and Edith Dawson brooches. These must date to c 1901/2 in the brief period when the Dawson’s established the Guild and prior to 1902 when Spencer and Montague Fordham took over. It strongly suggests that at least some of these pieces were not “just” by the Dawsons but also by the Artificers Guild and based on the inscribed notes made in multiples – in this case of two and four. Photo credit “Artifcers Guild Archive,ref AC/1/1/1/3/114. Courtesy of the Goldsmiths Company Library and Archive”

May 5, 2023|

New Silver Society website launched

I am delighted to advise that the new Silver Society website is now launched with many new features for members and non members. Top of this list would be the archive of the Silver Society Journal that is now digitized and searchable for all to use. See this link to explore the new website.

February 14, 2023|

Henry Littledale

The family of Henry Littledale (see A1024) have been in touch with some more information about him. It is clear that in addition to silver and jewellery he was also firing very fine cloisonne enamel plaques using his patented granulation technique. Also included is this charming letter from Queen Mary that was written by her lady in waiting, giving thanks for a silver and enamel frame Littledale made for the Queen’s doll’s house. If you have further information on Littledale I, and the family, would love to hear about it.

February 9, 2023|

Fake Liberty Knox silver frames

Over the the years I have had so many questions about fake Liberty frames I thought I would blog on the subject. As best I can tell Cymric Liberty silver frames “copying” a superb Knox mirror in the Virginia Museum of Fine Art were made in the US in the 1990’s in quite large numbers. These have very good, but fake, hallmarks and can easily deceive on that basis. Better to look at the relatively poor enamelling and quality of the silver work which are more obviously “wrong”. Quite helpfully an example is currently up at auction which includes the stamp “REPRO”, no doubt for “Reproduction”, honestly outing itself for what it is – though reproducing assays marks, or selling items with fake marks, in the UK is a serious criminal offence. See images.

January 3, 2023|
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