Archibald Knox

comprising coffee pot with cover, milk jug, sugar bowl and tongs

John Jesse, London, 1990

Liberty’s 1875-1975, An Exhibition to Mark the Firm’s Centenary, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, July-October 1975
Liberty Style, Parco Gallery, Tokyo, 1983
Archibald Knox (1864-1933), Liberty of London Designer and Master of British Art Nouveau, The David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago, February 12-April 19, 1998, no. S33
The Liberty Style, Metropolitan Teien Museum of Art, Tokyo, June 12-July 25, 1999, followed by a tour to six different museums in Japan through June 2000

Liberty Silver Sketch Book, Westminster City Archives, n.d., p. 406, no. 500/86 (for coffee pot and sugar bowl)
Liberty’s 1875-1975, An Exhibition to Mark the Firm’s Centenary, exh. cat., Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 1975, p. 59, no. D83 A-D (for the present example illustrated)
Victor Arwas, Liberty Style, Tokyo, 1983, p. 128, no. S.60 (for the present example illustrated)
The Liberty Style, exh. cat., Japan Art & Culture Association, Tokyo, 1999, p. 126, no. 201 (for the present example illustrated)
Adrian J. Tilbrook, The Designs of Archibald Knox for Liberty & Co, London, 2000, p. 158, fig. no. 146 (for the present example illustrated)
Stephen A. Martin, Archibald Knox, London, 2001, p. 197 (for the present example illustrated)

Overall in very good condition. The sugar bowl with two oval amethyst cabochons at the interior of the rim (not visibly in the catalogue illustration)which match the inset oval amethyst cabochons located on the tongs. The surface of all each piece presents with very faint surface scratches from gentle handling, occasional minor pitting and light tarnishing to the recessed portions of the overall design. The coffee pot with a few very minor abrasions to the spout, which are minor and do not impact the overall work. The ivory surrounding the handle has been replaced with ivorine at some point in the piece’s history. The stones on the surgar bowl with minute losses at perimeter, only visible upon close inspection and possibly inherent when the stone was set into the piece. A wonderful service with great scale and intricate interlaced detailing that is further heightened by the large stone insets. A rare opportunity to acquire this service at auction.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This coffee set was executed in 1901, the same year that Liberty & Co was manufacturing some of Knox’s most modernist designs.  Included in the Liberty Silver Sketchbook, it is the only variant of this grouping known, though its style of chased faux strap work and somewhat historicized shape can be found in a small number of other silver jugs.  Knox used the chasing typical of the Arts and Crafts movement that privileged exposed rivets, visible joins and other details to simulate handmade or “honest” construction.  At the same time, he impressed this decorative element into service of another kind: looking past the immediate Arts and Crafts feel of the decoration, Knox has created muscular versions of the Celtic entrelac chased in bold relief.  This strength is reflected also in the vessels’ tankard-like shapes that echo the Arts and Crafts predilection for the styles of bygone days.  The result is an extremely successful blend of the Arts and Crafts spirit with a Celtic and Anglo-Saxon flair.

DR. STEPHEN A. MARTIN