GERALD BENNEY From the early 1960s, Gerald Benney’s style is instantly recognisable with its elegant lines and rich surface texture. Add his use of gold and rich enamels and it is indisputably representative of his time, but which nevertheless has a timeless appeal. Although renowned for his domestic silver, Gerald Benney was also an outstanding box maker. He started work at the bench in 1949 and retired in 1999. His son Simon continues the business. Gerald Benney died in 2008. “My philosophy as such is to project and involve my own personal design theme without too much reference to others in the field.” Gerald Benney
Adrian Gerald Sallis Benney was born during 1930 in Hull. Both his parents were artistic, his mother being accomplished at silversmithing.1 Although always known as Gerald, his maker’s mark was ‘AGB’ (on account of his initials), which can be confusing for new collectors. From 1946-8, he trained at Brighton College of Art, where his father, Sallis, was Principal. The Roman Catholic ecclesiastical Arts and Crafts silversmith Dunstan Pruden taught him. Dunstan was a member of The Guild of St Joseph and St Dominic near Ditchling on the South Downs. The Guild had been founded by Eric Gill and was a semi-religious community of craftsmen and women. There was a steady flow of commissions through the workshop, and from about 1946 through to 1949 Dunstan gave Gerald practical work experience at the Guild.2 Consequently the young Benney had the opportunity to gain a real understanding of religious objects under ideal
1. In 1954 mother and son both exhibited silver at Steyning Grammar School’s Art Society’s Contemporary Show. 2. It was Sallis Benney who asked Dunstan Pruden to give his son work experience. In his unpublished autobiography So Doth the Smith, Pruden states that ‘silver smithing could not be learned in an art school, however much one tried to reproduce workshop conditions. The College was lucky enough to have in Sallis Benney, a Principal who was sufficiently enlightened to recognise this. He asked me if his son Gerald, who was in my department, could work in my workshop one day a week. A precedent was thus established and Gerald was followed by other students.’ This and other quotes from the book are by kind permission of Anton Pruden, Dunstan Pruden’s grandson. 3. Dunstan wrote in his autobiography (see footnote above): ‘I often look back with shame on the way in which I subordinated everything in life to my work. Once when Gerald was helping me, I finished an urgent job just before the last post was due to be collected. I said to Gerald, “Quick, jump on your motor-bike, and we might just be able to get to the Post Office before it closes.” With me on the pillion we tore off at dangerous speed, and going round a corner Gerald, the bike, the parcel and I were all flung in different directions. I picked myself up, found that the parcel seemed to be intact and the bike in going order, and turned my attention to poor Gerald who was lying half-conscious in the road. “Come along”, I cried urgently, “we can still make it!” and we did, but I was never allowed to forget the episode.’ 4. A handwritten PS reads, ‘Will you please burn this letter when you have read it? I am not supposed to disclose details that throw any light on the classes awarded in the Final Exams. RYG’. The letter is safely preserved in the Benney Archive.
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conditions as well as a thorough grounding in the running of a silver workshop.3 After military service from 1948 to 1950, Gerald studied at the Royal College of Art from 1951-4 under Professor Robert Goodden. In 1952, a four-piece tea service and tray secured him the Prince of Wales Scholarship. This has the small outward sloping legs that featured on so many items of contemporary design exhibited at the Festival of Britain the previous year. The service was hand-raised and demonstrates that although its maker had only been working at the bench just over five years, he was already a master craftsman. He graduated from the RCA with an upper second degree and was disappointed that he did not receive a first. However, in a letter to his father Sallis Benney, Goodden revealed, ‘He did remarkably well here, and always looked certain to do so. In fact he really did even better than was made to appear by his placing in the Final Examination, in which he missed the highest class by a hair’s breadth.’ 4 During his last term at the RCA Benney went to Ide’s, a plating specialist at Suffolk House, Whitfield Place off London’s Tottenham Court Road, to
Above, left: Mark of Adrian Gerald Benney Note that the initials are always within three conjoined circles. Opposite: Candleabra for Lord McAlpine Courtesy The Pearson Silver Collection, photographer Bill Burnett In the mid-1960s, Gerald designed a series of candelabra with forged tapering spikes that reflected the lights of the candles. This pair is the first of the series and was made for the late Lord (Alistair) McAlpine. His Lordship was so pleased with the pair that he ordered another, but in silver as opposed to silver gilt, for presentation to the Victoria and Albert Museum. When Gerald saw these were to be shown at an exhibition in a Kensington Gallery in 2000, forgetting that he had made two pairs, he rang the V&A and asked them to check their vaults. Height 49.5cm. The pair weigh over 6.5 kilograms. London 1965.
GERALD BENNEY From the early 1960s, Gerald Benney’s style is instantly recognisable with its elegant lines and rich surface texture. Add his use of gold and rich enamels and it is indisputably representative of his time, but which nevertheless has a timeless appeal. Although renowned for his domestic silver, Gerald Benney was also an outstanding box maker. He started work at the bench in 1949 and retired in 1999. His son Simon continues the business. Gerald Benney died in 2008. “My philosophy as such is to project and involve my own personal design theme without too much reference to others in the field.” Gerald Benney
Adrian Gerald Sallis Benney was born during 1930 in Hull. Both his parents were artistic, his mother being accomplished at silversmithing.1 Although always known as Gerald, his maker’s mark was ‘AGB’ (on account of his initials), which can be confusing for new collectors. From 1946-8, he trained at Brighton College of Art, where his father, Sallis, was Principal. The Roman Catholic ecclesiastical Arts and Crafts silversmith Dunstan Pruden taught him. Dunstan was a member of The Guild of St Joseph and St Dominic near Ditchling on the South Downs. The Guild had been founded by Eric Gill and was a semi-religious community of craftsmen and women. There was a steady flow of commissions through the workshop, and from about 1946 through to 1949 Dunstan gave Gerald practical work experience at the Guild.2 Consequently the young Benney had the opportunity to gain a real understanding of religious objects under ideal
1. In 1954 mother and son both exhibited silver at Steyning Grammar School’s Art Society’s Contemporary Show. 2. It was Sallis Benney who asked Dunstan Pruden to give his son work experience. In his unpublished autobiography So Doth the Smith, Pruden states that ‘silver smithing could not be learned in an art school, however much one tried to reproduce workshop conditions. The College was lucky enough to have in Sallis Benney, a Principal who was sufficiently enlightened to recognise this. He asked me if his son Gerald, who was in my department, could work in my workshop one day a week. A precedent was thus established and Gerald was followed by other students.’ This and other quotes from the book are by kind permission of Anton Pruden, Dunstan Pruden’s grandson. 3. Dunstan wrote in his autobiography (see footnote above): ‘I often look back with shame on the way in which I subordinated everything in life to my work. Once when Gerald was helping me, I finished an urgent job just before the last post was due to be collected. I said to Gerald, “Quick, jump on your motor-bike, and we might just be able to get to the Post Office before it closes.” With me on the pillion we tore off at dangerous speed, and going round a corner Gerald, the bike, the parcel and I were all flung in different directions. I picked myself up, found that the parcel seemed to be intact and the bike in going order, and turned my attention to poor Gerald who was lying half-conscious in the road. “Come along”, I cried urgently, “we can still make it!” and we did, but I was never allowed to forget the episode.’ 4. A handwritten PS reads, ‘Will you please burn this letter when you have read it? I am not supposed to disclose details that throw any light on the classes awarded in the Final Exams. RYG’. The letter is safely preserved in the Benney Archive.
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conditions as well as a thorough grounding in the running of a silver workshop.3 After military service from 1948 to 1950, Gerald studied at the Royal College of Art from 1951-4 under Professor Robert Goodden. In 1952, a four-piece tea service and tray secured him the Prince of Wales Scholarship. This has the small outward sloping legs that featured on so many items of contemporary design exhibited at the Festival of Britain the previous year. The service was hand-raised and demonstrates that although its maker had only been working at the bench just over five years, he was already a master craftsman. He graduated from the RCA with an upper second degree and was disappointed that he did not receive a first. However, in a letter to his father Sallis Benney, Goodden revealed, ‘He did remarkably well here, and always looked certain to do so. In fact he really did even better than was made to appear by his placing in the Final Examination, in which he missed the highest class by a hair’s breadth.’ 4 During his last term at the RCA Benney went to Ide’s, a plating specialist at Suffolk House, Whitfield Place off London’s Tottenham Court Road, to
Above, left: Mark of Adrian Gerald Benney Note that the initials are always within three conjoined circles. Opposite: Candleabra for Lord McAlpine Courtesy The Pearson Silver Collection, photographer Bill Burnett In the mid-1960s, Gerald designed a series of candelabra with forged tapering spikes that reflected the lights of the candles. This pair is the first of the series and was made for the late Lord (Alistair) McAlpine. His Lordship was so pleased with the pair that he ordered another, but in silver as opposed to silver gilt, for presentation to the Victoria and Albert Museum. When Gerald saw these were to be shown at an exhibition in a Kensington Gallery in 2000, forgetting that he had made two pairs, he rang the V&A and asked them to check their vaults. Height 49.5cm. The pair weigh over 6.5 kilograms. London 1965.
STUART DEVLIN
awarded to one of his craftsmen when he was elected by his peers to the status of Master Craftsman. Its award indicated that the craftsman, as a result of both his training and experience, produced a superior standard of workmanship than was the norm. The mark would appear in addition to the usual hallmark (which included Stuart Devlin’s maker’s mark), but its inclusion was at the discretion of the craftsman. Pieces bearing a Master’s Mark are very rare. Stuart tells one story where a customer was impressed with a particular piece being displayed at one of his exhibitions. “I explained the concept of the design to him and then said that it was a masterpiece and it also carried the Master’s Mark and
died six months after joining Stuart in London. In the 1970s he met Brian Martin who was skilfully able to transform Stuart’s designs into three-dimensional objects. Using rosewood and filigree, the furniture is both rich and romantic. This naturally led into the world of interior design.32 However, throughout the 1970s he was also designing coins and medals33 and when Queen Elizabeth II established the Order of Australia34 in 1975, he was asked to design the full regalia. Commissions were also flowing
32. Stuart had worked on the interior of his own Mayfair home and of course his Conduit Street showroom. The first commercial project was in 1979 for the entire interiors of two penthouses at the top of the Bank Bumiputra HQ in Kuala Lumpur. Here he designed everything from the chandeliers to the door knobs. More recently he has been designing his own homes in various parts of Sussex, culminating in 2009 with the interior of his latest – a penthouse in Chichester. 33. Up until 2010 he had designed coins for 36 countries. However, towards the end of 2009, it was announced that he had designed the four £1 coins for the UK’s capital cities series representing England (London), Northern Ireland (Belfast), Scotland (Edinburgh) and Wales (Cardiff). These were his first coins for the UK. As Wales is a principality, he has now designed coins for 39 countries. 34. Established ‘for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or meritorius service’, the Order is divided into five visions ranging from Knight or Dame of the Order of Australia down to a Medal of the Order of Australia. Stuart Devlin designed the full regalia comprising: Knight’s Breast Badge, Knight’s Neck Badge, Companion’s Neck Badge, Officer’s Neck Badge, Member’s Badge and The Medal of the Order. The designs of the insignia are based on a single ball of golden wattle, which is Australia’s national flower. The same year he was asked to design the Australian Bravery Awards by the Australian Government. Stuart Devlin became an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1988. 35. The Autobar Group is one of the largest automated vending organisations in Europe. The Victoria Cup is one of the most popular and one of the toughest handicaps run at Ascot. It is now sponsored by Totesport. 36. The largest has the Royal Arms engraved on its cover, the other four each feature a view of one of the Royal residences – Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle. The smallest box contains a silver ingot engraved with a personal message from the Prince to his parents. 37. A noisy traditional ceremony, where all members of the workshop clang their tools together to signify an apprentice’s acceptance to full status.
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into the Devlin workshop ranging from trophies (such as the Autobar Victoria Cup of 1978 which incorporates a replica of a plastic cup35) to commemorative items (including the 1973 opening of the Sydney Opera House). There were also personal commissions such as the set of five nesting boxes commissioned by HRH The Prince of Wales to present to his parents on the occasion of their Silver Wedding Anniversary in 1972.36 At this period Stuart, having analysed the conditions under which he worked best – near absolute relaxation and near absolute concentration – had established a routine of escaping to Mustique in the Caribbean, where the house that he built was designed for relaxation and work. After a week of windsurfing and tennis away from the pressures of work, the ideas began to flow freely. Of course, ideas are one thing – having the craftsmen with the skills required to translate a design in pencil on paper to an object in precious metal is another. Stuart Devlin employed the best craftsmen and gave all his apprentices a fully rounded training that was not confined to the area in which they wished to specialise. Additionally, they were expected to study appropriate subjects at night school. For those completing their fiveyear apprenticeship, there was an added bonus. Having been ‘rung out’,37 the former apprentice was presented with an Apprentices’ Tankard in silver designed by Stuart in the late 1960s. In 1973, he also devised the Master’s Mark. This Mark, that took the form of a symbol such as a key or a hand (see Figure 1, p.168 for a listing of Stuart Devlin’s Master Craftsmen and their Marks), was
Opposite: Centrepiece with Fluorite Crystal Courtesy The Pearson Silver Collection, photographer Bill Burnett For a number of years from the late 1960s, Stuart speculatively made a number of large centrepieces. The one shown here with a large fluorite crystal at its centre, is ideal for a lunch party, and this semi-precious stone he often incorporated in his early work. For the evening the crystal can be replaced by a candelabrum for a dozen candles with a fitting which allows them to be positioned at any angle, or indeed vertically. This is hallmarked a year later than the base. Stuart advises that there was initially a problem with the candelabrum fitment which explains the date letter being different from the base. The centrepiece has been gilt with the exception of the underside of the base. At some point prior to its purchase by the Collection, the gilt base had inexplicably been lacquered. The lacquer has now been professionally removed. Diameter 40cm. London 1968 and 1969. Right: ‘Masterpiece’ Decanter Courtesy The Pearson Silver Collection, photographer Bill Burnett In 1973 Stuart devised a scheme to acknowledge talent among his team. This took the form of a mark such as a key or a hand and was awarded to his silversmiths when they were elected by their peers to the status of Master Craftsman. Its use was to be at the discretion of the craftsman to put on pieces that he considered to be ‘Masterpieces’. However, the team’s standards were very high and the marks were applied extremely sparingly. One of Devlin’s Master Craftsman Rodney Hingston hand-raised this decanter and it bears his mark, an ‘Eye’ on the neck of the piece. On one occasion Stuart sold a different piece at one of his exhibitions, explaining in the catalogue that it was a Masterpiece and bore the Master Craftsman’s mark, as he assumed that the craftsman would consider it to be a Masterpiece. It was purchased by a client who admired both the Devlin’s design and the high standard of craftsmanship. A few days later, the client telephoned Stuart to say that although delighted with the piece, he could not find the craftsman’s special mark, only the Stuart Devlin hallmark. Stuart said he would ask the craftsman where he had put it and ring him back. At the bench, Stuart asked the silversmith who had made it where he had stamped his mark. The reply was, ‘I didn’t put it on because I didn’t like the design!’ The customer said that he would keep the piece because he liked the story! Height 40.6cm. London 1976.
167
STUART DEVLIN
awarded to one of his craftsmen when he was elected by his peers to the status of Master Craftsman. Its award indicated that the craftsman, as a result of both his training and experience, produced a superior standard of workmanship than was the norm. The mark would appear in addition to the usual hallmark (which included Stuart Devlin’s maker’s mark), but its inclusion was at the discretion of the craftsman. Pieces bearing a Master’s Mark are very rare. Stuart tells one story where a customer was impressed with a particular piece being displayed at one of his exhibitions. “I explained the concept of the design to him and then said that it was a masterpiece and it also carried the Master’s Mark and
died six months after joining Stuart in London. In the 1970s he met Brian Martin who was skilfully able to transform Stuart’s designs into three-dimensional objects. Using rosewood and filigree, the furniture is both rich and romantic. This naturally led into the world of interior design.32 However, throughout the 1970s he was also designing coins and medals33 and when Queen Elizabeth II established the Order of Australia34 in 1975, he was asked to design the full regalia. Commissions were also flowing
32. Stuart had worked on the interior of his own Mayfair home and of course his Conduit Street showroom. The first commercial project was in 1979 for the entire interiors of two penthouses at the top of the Bank Bumiputra HQ in Kuala Lumpur. Here he designed everything from the chandeliers to the door knobs. More recently he has been designing his own homes in various parts of Sussex, culminating in 2009 with the interior of his latest – a penthouse in Chichester. 33. Up until 2010 he had designed coins for 36 countries. However, towards the end of 2009, it was announced that he had designed the four £1 coins for the UK’s capital cities series representing England (London), Northern Ireland (Belfast), Scotland (Edinburgh) and Wales (Cardiff). These were his first coins for the UK. As Wales is a principality, he has now designed coins for 39 countries. 34. Established ‘for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or meritorius service’, the Order is divided into five visions ranging from Knight or Dame of the Order of Australia down to a Medal of the Order of Australia. Stuart Devlin designed the full regalia comprising: Knight’s Breast Badge, Knight’s Neck Badge, Companion’s Neck Badge, Officer’s Neck Badge, Member’s Badge and The Medal of the Order. The designs of the insignia are based on a single ball of golden wattle, which is Australia’s national flower. The same year he was asked to design the Australian Bravery Awards by the Australian Government. Stuart Devlin became an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1988. 35. The Autobar Group is one of the largest automated vending organisations in Europe. The Victoria Cup is one of the most popular and one of the toughest handicaps run at Ascot. It is now sponsored by Totesport. 36. The largest has the Royal Arms engraved on its cover, the other four each feature a view of one of the Royal residences – Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle. The smallest box contains a silver ingot engraved with a personal message from the Prince to his parents. 37. A noisy traditional ceremony, where all members of the workshop clang their tools together to signify an apprentice’s acceptance to full status.
166
into the Devlin workshop ranging from trophies (such as the Autobar Victoria Cup of 1978 which incorporates a replica of a plastic cup35) to commemorative items (including the 1973 opening of the Sydney Opera House). There were also personal commissions such as the set of five nesting boxes commissioned by HRH The Prince of Wales to present to his parents on the occasion of their Silver Wedding Anniversary in 1972.36 At this period Stuart, having analysed the conditions under which he worked best – near absolute relaxation and near absolute concentration – had established a routine of escaping to Mustique in the Caribbean, where the house that he built was designed for relaxation and work. After a week of windsurfing and tennis away from the pressures of work, the ideas began to flow freely. Of course, ideas are one thing – having the craftsmen with the skills required to translate a design in pencil on paper to an object in precious metal is another. Stuart Devlin employed the best craftsmen and gave all his apprentices a fully rounded training that was not confined to the area in which they wished to specialise. Additionally, they were expected to study appropriate subjects at night school. For those completing their fiveyear apprenticeship, there was an added bonus. Having been ‘rung out’,37 the former apprentice was presented with an Apprentices’ Tankard in silver designed by Stuart in the late 1960s. In 1973, he also devised the Master’s Mark. This Mark, that took the form of a symbol such as a key or a hand (see Figure 1, p.168 for a listing of Stuart Devlin’s Master Craftsmen and their Marks), was
Opposite: Centrepiece with Fluorite Crystal Courtesy The Pearson Silver Collection, photographer Bill Burnett For a number of years from the late 1960s, Stuart speculatively made a number of large centrepieces. The one shown here with a large fluorite crystal at its centre, is ideal for a lunch party, and this semi-precious stone he often incorporated in his early work. For the evening the crystal can be replaced by a candelabrum for a dozen candles with a fitting which allows them to be positioned at any angle, or indeed vertically. This is hallmarked a year later than the base. Stuart advises that there was initially a problem with the candelabrum fitment which explains the date letter being different from the base. The centrepiece has been gilt with the exception of the underside of the base. At some point prior to its purchase by the Collection, the gilt base had inexplicably been lacquered. The lacquer has now been professionally removed. Diameter 40cm. London 1968 and 1969. Right: ‘Masterpiece’ Decanter Courtesy The Pearson Silver Collection, photographer Bill Burnett In 1973 Stuart devised a scheme to acknowledge talent among his team. This took the form of a mark such as a key or a hand and was awarded to his silversmiths when they were elected by their peers to the status of Master Craftsman. Its use was to be at the discretion of the craftsman to put on pieces that he considered to be ‘Masterpieces’. However, the team’s standards were very high and the marks were applied extremely sparingly. One of Devlin’s Master Craftsman Rodney Hingston hand-raised this decanter and it bears his mark, an ‘Eye’ on the neck of the piece. On one occasion Stuart sold a different piece at one of his exhibitions, explaining in the catalogue that it was a Masterpiece and bore the Master Craftsman’s mark, as he assumed that the craftsman would consider it to be a Masterpiece. It was purchased by a client who admired both the Devlin’s design and the high standard of craftsmanship. A few days later, the client telephoned Stuart to say that although delighted with the piece, he could not find the craftsman’s special mark, only the Stuart Devlin hallmark. Stuart said he would ask the craftsman where he had put it and ring him back. At the bench, Stuart asked the silversmith who had made it where he had stamped his mark. The reply was, ‘I didn’t put it on because I didn’t like the design!’ The customer said that he would keep the piece because he liked the story! Height 40.6cm. London 1976.
167
ANTHONY ELSON
The workforce subsequently grew from 15 to 30. While work for the Royal Palace was underway, Anthony was introduced to the proprietors of C Tavener and Son Limited in Hampstead. Roger, the son, was developing the interior design part of the business and had an array of high net worth individuals from pop stars to entrepreneurs as clients. Anthony Elson designed metal home furnishings for the business and one of his first customers was Ringo Starr, who required a fireplace in the form of a doughnut. Roger’s brother John was a composer and Anthony and his wife enjoyed attending his premiers to ‘enjoy hearing his wonderfully distinctive music’.9 Like other silversmiths, Anthony benefited from the demand triggered by the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977. However, storm clouds were beginning to gather as Anthony explained. ‘By the end of the 1970s, after the three-day week10 and finally the Winter of Discontent11 it was not surprising that the silver side of the business was also showing no growth. The lease of B&W’s premises was ending in 1981 and the landlord was proposing a 600 per cent increase in rent. Jack Davis had retired and I decided to liquidate the company rather than hope for better things to come. My main market had been the retailers and they were closing down at an alarming rate. I was able to sell the
9. John Tavener was knighted in 2000 for his service to music. His Song for Athene was performed at Princess Diana’s funeral. He died in November 2013. 10. See note 10, p.184. 11. See note 11, p.184.
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ANTHONY ELSON
Above: Marine Bowl Courtesy Anthony Elson, photographer Richard Valencia Anthony calls this piece the Marine Bowl. He said, ‘It’s a new departure or dimension where I have designed controlled colouring into the piece. I like colour. Enamellers have their palette, but it is an addition, whereas I treat the silver with chemicals to create the colour. It is a limited palette, but it is not just blackening the silver. Spines radiate out from the bowl and the ripples in between are coloured greeny blue. The actual bowl is a concave hemisphere and it has been carefully worked out to have a diameter that is half of the whole. It stands on just two legs that terminate in crystal, the third support being the bowl itself. It looks as if it is floating with no means of support. The green stone is foil-backed crystal.’ Richard Price undertook the superb chasing and repoussé work. Diameter 31cm. London 2010. Opposite: Candelabra for the Inner Temple Courtesy Anthony Elson When the Inner Temple decided that it wanted a pair of candelabra as part of its celebrations for the Millennium, it asked a number of silversmiths to submit their ideas. Anthony’s design was chosen. For use at banquets held in its imposing hall, he knew that they had to look majestic and be of a certain height. As Pegasus had been the emblem of the Inner Temple for centuries, he decided to surmount the column with this flying horse of Greek mythology, which was lightly oxidised to give it prominence. The candelabra’s arms were inspired by the Romanesque arches of nearby Temple Church, the headquarters of the medieval order of the Knight Templars with its 12th-century nave in the round, as the initial church was based upon the design of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. (A rectangular chancery was added about 50 years later.) But, how could the pieces be linked to a new millennium? On the basis that Christ was born on such an occasion, though this is a matter of conjecture, Anthony researched the Star of Bethlehem that revealed the birth of the Messiah to the Biblical Magi. According to one professor of astronomy, it was probably a result of the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. Anthony features this astronomical event below Pegasus. The pair of candelabra met with the approval of the Inner Temple. Indeed, so much so that they came back for more (of a different design) and also for candlesticks. Height 80cm. London 2000. 205
ANTHONY ELSON
The workforce subsequently grew from 15 to 30. While work for the Royal Palace was underway, Anthony was introduced to the proprietors of C Tavener and Son Limited in Hampstead. Roger, the son, was developing the interior design part of the business and had an array of high net worth individuals from pop stars to entrepreneurs as clients. Anthony Elson designed metal home furnishings for the business and one of his first customers was Ringo Starr, who required a fireplace in the form of a doughnut. Roger’s brother John was a composer and Anthony and his wife enjoyed attending his premiers to ‘enjoy hearing his wonderfully distinctive music’.9 Like other silversmiths, Anthony benefited from the demand triggered by the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977. However, storm clouds were beginning to gather as Anthony explained. ‘By the end of the 1970s, after the three-day week10 and finally the Winter of Discontent11 it was not surprising that the silver side of the business was also showing no growth. The lease of B&W’s premises was ending in 1981 and the landlord was proposing a 600 per cent increase in rent. Jack Davis had retired and I decided to liquidate the company rather than hope for better things to come. My main market had been the retailers and they were closing down at an alarming rate. I was able to sell the
9. John Tavener was knighted in 2000 for his service to music. His Song for Athene was performed at Princess Diana’s funeral. He died in November 2013. 10. See note 10, p.184. 11. See note 11, p.184.
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ANTHONY ELSON
Above: Marine Bowl Courtesy Anthony Elson, photographer Richard Valencia Anthony calls this piece the Marine Bowl. He said, ‘It’s a new departure or dimension where I have designed controlled colouring into the piece. I like colour. Enamellers have their palette, but it is an addition, whereas I treat the silver with chemicals to create the colour. It is a limited palette, but it is not just blackening the silver. Spines radiate out from the bowl and the ripples in between are coloured greeny blue. The actual bowl is a concave hemisphere and it has been carefully worked out to have a diameter that is half of the whole. It stands on just two legs that terminate in crystal, the third support being the bowl itself. It looks as if it is floating with no means of support. The green stone is foil-backed crystal.’ Richard Price undertook the superb chasing and repoussé work. Diameter 31cm. London 2010. Opposite: Candelabra for the Inner Temple Courtesy Anthony Elson When the Inner Temple decided that it wanted a pair of candelabra as part of its celebrations for the Millennium, it asked a number of silversmiths to submit their ideas. Anthony’s design was chosen. For use at banquets held in its imposing hall, he knew that they had to look majestic and be of a certain height. As Pegasus had been the emblem of the Inner Temple for centuries, he decided to surmount the column with this flying horse of Greek mythology, which was lightly oxidised to give it prominence. The candelabra’s arms were inspired by the Romanesque arches of nearby Temple Church, the headquarters of the medieval order of the Knight Templars with its 12th-century nave in the round, as the initial church was based upon the design of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. (A rectangular chancery was added about 50 years later.) But, how could the pieces be linked to a new millennium? On the basis that Christ was born on such an occasion, though this is a matter of conjecture, Anthony researched the Star of Bethlehem that revealed the birth of the Messiah to the Biblical Magi. According to one professor of astronomy, it was probably a result of the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. Anthony features this astronomical event below Pegasus. The pair of candelabra met with the approval of the Inner Temple. Indeed, so much so that they came back for more (of a different design) and also for candlesticks. Height 80cm. London 2000. 205
DESIGNERS, CRAFTSMEN, SILVER MANUFACTURERS AND ENGRAVERS
Mellor in Sheffield. Later he studied silversmithing at the Sir John Cass College in London. Upon graduating he established his own studio and workshop at the Old Firestation in Lewes, Sussex. He produced major pieces of ecclesiastical work for Salisbury, Hereford, Birmingham, and Southwark Cathedrals, the Sussex University Meeting House in Falmer and has smaller pieces in many English churches around the country. He also undertook domestic commissions and retailed a range of domestic items and gifts. BELLAMY, Geoffrey Guy Born in 1922, after service in the War, he studied at the Birmingham College of Art from 1946-50 and at the Royal College of Art from 1950-3. After graduating he established a workshop in London and supplied retailers with a range of small silver pieces during the 1950s. In the 1960s he had various design roles before moving into education fulltime in 1967. He died in 1997. See pp.80-5. BENNETT, William Ernest Trained at Sheffield School of Art and the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. Following a period as a pupil of Omar Ramsden, where he undertook some chasing, he travelled Europe. In 1937 he was appointed Head of the Silversmithing Department at the Sheffield School of Art and remained there until just before his death in 1967. He designed and made domestic as well as corporate silver. BENNEY, Adrian Gerald Known as Gerald Benney, he was born in 1930. He studied at Brighton College of Art from 1946-8 and at the Royal College of Art from 1951-4. He established his studio and workshop in central London and was an industrial designer as well as a silversmith. He was appointed consultant designer to Viners in 1957. In the early 1960s he started making objects with a textured silver surface. During the early 1970s he introduced colour to his work in the form of enamelling at his then recently established Berkshire workshop. From 1974-83 he was Professor of Silversmithing at the RCA. In 1974 he closed his London workshop, moving his operation to Berkshire. He died in 2008. See pp.86-105. BENNEY, Simon Born in 1966 he is a son of Gerald Benney. As a youngster he would amuse himself in his father’s workshop making copper bowls and plates that he then enamelled. He also made silver jewellery using scraps of the metal he found in the workshop. ‘I love jewellery and a family friend suggested that I study at the Gemmological Institute of America in Los Angeles.’ From 1989-91 he studied both precious stones and jewellery making at the GIA. Returning to the UK he worked with his father and in 1994 set-up a shop in London’s Walton Street in Knightsbridge. Initially Simon concentrated on the jewellery side of the business, while his father supplied the silver and undertook commissions. However, when his father retired in 1999 Simon became responsible for silver as well as jewellery. His workshop is in Wiltshire and his team of craftsmen include both Alan Evans and Robert Winter who worked for his father. His largest silver commission has been The Three Sisters, a massive suite of three candelabrum weighing over 50 kg. It is the largest piece of silver made in the UK for many years. He also designs and makes silver for members of the Royal Family and Fabergé. He holds three Royal Warrants.
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BENSTED, Michael Born in 1938, he studied at Canterbury College of Art and London’s Central School of Arts and Crafts. He served an apprenticeship at Nayler Brothers. In 1976 he became a freelance designer-silversmith working in Hornchurch. BENT, ME The Pearson Silver Collection has several pieces by Bent assayed in Birmingham from 1955 to 1960. BERESFORD, Robin Born in 1938 he studied at the Canterbury College of Art from 1954-9. Afterwards he studied at the RCA from 1961-4. In his final year he was awarded a travelling scholarship. He subsequently became a lecturer at the Canterbury College of Art. He also worked as a designer-silversmith and engraver and specialised in trophies. As at 2012 he still works in Ashford, Kent with his son Martin. BERRY, Michael Born in 1939 he studied at the Birmingham School of Jewellery and Silversmithing, Birmingham College of Art from 1958-1962. After teaching metalwork at a local secondary school for a year he joined AE Jones and became a designer, producing many important commissions in the later days of the company. By 1980 AE Jones was one of the only Birmingham companies employing a full-time designer. BILLINGS, Geoffrey Martin Born in 1945, he undertook the pre-apprenticeship course at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, then worked with LW Burt and later was a craftsman at Robert Welch. It appears he later became an independent silversmith as he exhibited at Loot in 1975. BIRCH, Derek Born in 1941, he studied at the Moseley School of Art from 1954-7, at the Birmingham School of Jewellery and Silversmithing (the School), Birmingham College of Art, from 1957-62, followed by study at the Royal College of Art 1962-5. After graduating he worked for a year in Germany where he gained experience of quantity machine production of stainless steel wares. Upon his return to the UK he established a workshop and gallery in Lincoln. He undertook several important commissions for the City of Lincoln that are today displayed in the city’s Guildhall Treasury. Other important commissions include three presented to HM Queen Elizabeth II, including a replica of Richard II’s State Sword, and a triptych presented to HRH Princess Diana. He made ceremonial maces for a number of institutions including Hong Kong University. During the late 1960s he returned to Birmingham to teach full-time at the School. His former students, such as the contemporary silversmith Theresa Nguyen hold him in high regard. She says he was ‘an inspiring teacher and mentor’ and that he has left, ‘a lasting legacy of craft skills which can be seen in the works of many silversmiths and jewellers around the country today’. He continued to design and make while teaching. Derek retired from the School in 2006 and died in 2011. BIRCH, Robert Born in 1947, he became apprenticed in 1963 to Peter Butterworth of Butterworths (Regia) Limited, a Kent-based silversmithing and plating business. He worked as a craftsman at the Silver Workshop and Wakely and Wheeler before studying at the Royal College of Art from 1974-7. He exhibited at Loot in 1976/7 and has tutored in various colleges in the UK.
Simon Benney These beakers were designed and made exclusively for Fabergé. Inspired by constructivism, the last and most influential modern art movement of Imperial Russia, each piece is hand-raised. The 18 panels are then hand-carved to create the borders that are needed to contain the different coloured enamels. The beakers are then sent for hallmarking and, upon return, the panels are textured using chasing tools to create the desired pattern. Powdered coloured glass is mixed with gum and demineralised water and laid on to the silver with a spatular. To fuse the glass on to the surface, it is put into a kiln and heated to 800°C. The firing process is repeated on average five times. The enamel is then polished with a pumice and finally the silver is polished. On average it takes one month for each beaker to be made. In some cases it can take two to three months if the enamel does not take. They retailed at about £14,000 each. Height 9cm. London 2012. Courtesy Fabergé 507