- 177
An Arts and Crafts silver bowl, Charles Robert Ashbee for the Guild and School of Handicraft, London, 1895/96
Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- silver
- 38.8cm., 15 1/4 in. diameter
circular, the spot-hammered sides chased with six stylised apple trees with entwined branches below a punch-beaded lip
Condition
The centre is a little bright, there are some traces of old lacquer around the edges, otherwise overall good condition, rare
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
The work of Charles Robert Ashbee (1863-1942) was celebrated at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, in 1963 with a centenary exhibition, when The Times described him as ‘one of the most distinguished disciples of William Morris and a main pillar of the influential arts and crafts movement in England.’ (10 May 1963, p. 16). Educated at Wellington College and then at King’s College, Cambridge, where he read history from 1883 to 1886, Ashbee subsequently studied architecture under George Frederick Bodley (1827-1907).
Ashbee established his Guild and School of Handicraft in the East End of London in 1888. Inspired by mediaeval guilds, the venture was organized as a co-operative for skilled working men to produce hand made goods in various media, some of which were based on designs by Ashbee himself. According to Alan Crawford, who has written authoritatively on the subject, the Guild’s craftsmen first began using silver in 1890 (C.R. Ashbee, Architect, Designer & Romantic Socialist, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1985, ch. 12, pp. 313-345). It was not until 29 January 1896, however, that Ashbee, on behalf of the Guild, entered a maker’s mark at Goldsmiths’ Hall. Given that at that time the London date letter changed annually about the beginning of May, this present dish must have passed through the Assay Office during the three months or so after the close of January 1896, making it one of the earliest, if not the earliest piece of hallmarked Guild silver to have been recorded.
Although no firm evidence exists as to when the Guild of Handicraft first showed silver articles at a public exhibition, Mr Crawford cites a photograph of one of its cases at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition of 1896, which opened at the New Gallery, Regent Street on 5 October. He says of this exhibit that, ‘quite a number of the pieces seem to have been made of silver.’ This suggestion seems to be supported in a report by ‘MEH’ in The Star, published in Guernsey on 10 November 1896 (p. 2e/f), in which the writer mentions ‘jewelry, bowls, cauldrons, covers for the table, glass and copper, pewter, silver, pearls, enamel [whose] designs are deliciously satisfying [and] done con amore . . .’ It is likely that this dish was shown either at this October 1896 Arts and Crafts Exhibition or an earlier ‘Amateur Art Exhibition’ which took place a few months before in May 1896 at 1 Belgrave Square, London, a house owned by Reuben Sassoon (1835-1905). Contemporary reports of this exhibition, while not specifically mentioning any silver shown by the Guild, do praise its metalwork: ‘The articles for sale include some excellent specimens of English metal work from Mr. Ashbee’s Guild of Handicrafts [sic]’ (The Morning Post, London, 11 May 1896, p. 3f); and ‘From Mr. Ashbee’s Guild and School of Handicraft, Essex House, come two cases of fine productions in metalwork.’ (The Daily News, London, 12 May 1896, p. 9c).
Compare this bowl with a smaller, pierced and embossed silver example with similarly arranged foliate decoration, struck with C.R. Ashbee’s mark and the London hallmark for 1896/97 (Christie’s, London, South Kensington, 29 March 2009, lot 159).
Ashbee established his Guild and School of Handicraft in the East End of London in 1888. Inspired by mediaeval guilds, the venture was organized as a co-operative for skilled working men to produce hand made goods in various media, some of which were based on designs by Ashbee himself. According to Alan Crawford, who has written authoritatively on the subject, the Guild’s craftsmen first began using silver in 1890 (C.R. Ashbee, Architect, Designer & Romantic Socialist, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1985, ch. 12, pp. 313-345). It was not until 29 January 1896, however, that Ashbee, on behalf of the Guild, entered a maker’s mark at Goldsmiths’ Hall. Given that at that time the London date letter changed annually about the beginning of May, this present dish must have passed through the Assay Office during the three months or so after the close of January 1896, making it one of the earliest, if not the earliest piece of hallmarked Guild silver to have been recorded.
Although no firm evidence exists as to when the Guild of Handicraft first showed silver articles at a public exhibition, Mr Crawford cites a photograph of one of its cases at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition of 1896, which opened at the New Gallery, Regent Street on 5 October. He says of this exhibit that, ‘quite a number of the pieces seem to have been made of silver.’ This suggestion seems to be supported in a report by ‘MEH’ in The Star, published in Guernsey on 10 November 1896 (p. 2e/f), in which the writer mentions ‘jewelry, bowls, cauldrons, covers for the table, glass and copper, pewter, silver, pearls, enamel [whose] designs are deliciously satisfying [and] done con amore . . .’ It is likely that this dish was shown either at this October 1896 Arts and Crafts Exhibition or an earlier ‘Amateur Art Exhibition’ which took place a few months before in May 1896 at 1 Belgrave Square, London, a house owned by Reuben Sassoon (1835-1905). Contemporary reports of this exhibition, while not specifically mentioning any silver shown by the Guild, do praise its metalwork: ‘The articles for sale include some excellent specimens of English metal work from Mr. Ashbee’s Guild of Handicrafts [sic]’ (The Morning Post, London, 11 May 1896, p. 3f); and ‘From Mr. Ashbee’s Guild and School of Handicraft, Essex House, come two cases of fine productions in metalwork.’ (The Daily News, London, 12 May 1896, p. 9c).
Compare this bowl with a smaller, pierced and embossed silver example with similarly arranged foliate decoration, struck with C.R. Ashbee’s mark and the London hallmark for 1896/97 (Christie’s, London, South Kensington, 29 March 2009, lot 159).