It is the history of the silver spoons of England, Scotland and Ireland chronologically by type from 1200 to 1710. There are approximately 2,260 images and 145,000 words, creating a complete reference of early spoons and their makers. Please visit David’s website to order it: www.silverspoonsofgreatbritain.com There is also a special deal on his first book “The Benson Collection of Early English Spoons”.
Invaluable Tool history, repair and collaboration by Francisca Onumah and Helena Russell is just one of the five makers work displayed as part of the Jerwood Art Fund Makers Open currently on display at Jerwood Space, London. The exhibition is on display until the 9th April 2022 and will then tour to Newlyn Art Gallery and |The Exchange in summer 2022 before travelling to Aberdeen Art Gallery in autumn 2022. Helena Russell andFrancisca Onumah Jerwood Art Fund Makers Open presents new work by Anna Berry, Cecilia Charlton, Jahday Ford, Vicky Higginson and Sheffield’s own Francisca Onumah and Helena Russell. Show casing a broad range of material disciplines including glass, textiles, digital modelling, silversmithing and sculptural installation; the five commissions provide a snap shot of some of the most exciting work produced by UK- based artists and makers. The makers explore common themes across their work. Curated by Harriet Cooper (Jerwood Arts) and Svetlana Panova (Aberdeen Art Gallery). Francisca and Helena use a box of [Read More]
With the further postponement of the Society’s rescheduled visit to Salters’ Hall a month or so earlier, this handling session at the V & A, hosted by Alice Minter, of the Gilbert Collection of gold boxes, was the first such event to go ahead since the emergence almost two years ago of covid19 and the restrictions imposed on social interactions that it provoked. Even then it was at risk from the arrival in the UK of the omicron variant and the first throes of winter disrupting train services on the day. However, three groups were scheduled through the day to view and handle a selection of eleven pieces chosen from the collection by Alice and two colleagues. The collection comprises some 200 or more pieces, mostly snuff boxes, from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, made around Europe including Russia, Switzerland, Germany and mainly France, as well as England, which had been assembled by Sir Arthur and Rosalinde Gilbert through the 1970’s and 1980’s, after [Read More]
Published by Routledge and costs £95 from Hodges Figgis in Dublin or on Amazon.com
We are very pleased to announce that the winner is Rebecca Oldfield for her Iris Wall Sconce. The Iris Wall Sconce was Rebecca’s response to the patterns and structures that she found in microscopic images of the iris of the human eye. In her final piece she has combined the lines and the textures visible in the iris under high magnification. The result is a considered and elegant piece which is both well designed and executed. The judges said that Rebecca’s presentation was detailed, clear, and impressively professional. The research and development that went into her design was evident, with consideration for details like hidden fixings and ease of cleaning. Prototyping the entire piece in gilding metal obviously contributed to the finesse of the ultimate result. They much look forward to seeing how Rebecca’s work develops in the future. Further images of her work can be seen on her website: https://www.rebeccaoldfield.co.uk Rebecca commented: I am absolutely thrilled to have won the Silver Society Prize for my Iris [Read More]
On Monday 20th September 2021, a small group of members from the ECSG visited the premises of London silver dealers Koopman Rare Art. Koopman Rare Art is one of the world’s leading dealers specialising in antique silver, gold boxes and objects de vertu. The company was founded by brothers Jacques and Eddy Koopman in 1952 and, after trading at the entrance to The London Silver Vaults on Chancery Lane since 1969, Koopman Rare Art has now moved to Mayfair. The Early Career Group was warmly welcomed with champagne by directors Mr Lewis Smith and Mr Timo Koopman and assistants Chiara Scotto Pasanisi dei Foscarini and Giorgia Zen. After an introduction about the history of the company and its role in liaising with important institutions and collectors, the group was then given a tour of the gallery and discussed highlights in the current collection. Members were then treated to a handling session and were given the opportunity to study rare and interesting pieces ranging in [Read More]
