An exceptional pair of Murrle Bennett modernist silver cufflinks

Price range: £2,250

For sale are these simply fabulous Murrle Bennett silver and turquoise cufflinks. Designed in classic jugendstil meets British arts and crafts modernist style.  They also have a slightly brutalist “machine age” design very much ahead of their time. I have never seen anothe pair to this design.   I think they are incredible, and rest assured I will be wearing them at every opportunity until sold – a dealer’s perk!

The cufflinks are from a private collection with provenance to the famous John Jesse Gallery. The surviving original receipt shows they were bought in 2000 for £1,000.  They come in a Liberty box that may or may not be original to the cufflinks.

The designers of these cufflinks were undoubtedly one or both of R Win or F Rico. I say this with confidence based on an article in the Studio (volume 36 page 161, 1905) that illustrates jewellery by Murrle Bennett, clearly in the style of these cufflinks.  See images.  Win and Rico are given as the designers but it is unclear if the pieces were all a joint effort or if one or other made different pieces individually.  Certainly it looks as though there are two distinct design styles at work, so possibly not a joint design effort.

I can find no further information on either  Win or Rico, do please be in touch if you have anything further to add.  Clearly one or both were designers of real talent who have been lost to history.

Murrle Bennett was an Anglo German firm that made silver for Liberty and under its own name, often after Liberty or Archibald Knox designs.

Maker: Murrle Bennett & Co

Designer: R Win/F Rico – see description

Date : c. 1903

Marks: MB& Co

Material: Sterling silver. turquoise

Condition: Excellent

Size: Main button, 2.2 cm wide

Weight : NM