Showing posts with label British. Show all posts
Showing posts with label British. Show all posts

Friday, April 22, 2011

British Decorative silver styles and dates - part 3

From Gold and Silver Hallmarks

To understand and collect Silver it is important to handle and view as much of it as you can.

By examining and comparing Silver close up you can see and notice details that can’t be conveyed in a picture.

It is also important to have an understanding of the historical styles of the silversmiths. This helps to classify silver and also to date the Silver you are looking at.

Although not all the styles are listed here, the list that follows represents the most popular British silver decorative styles.

Arts & Crafts

The Arts and crafts movement came into being with the founding of the Art Workers Guild in 1884, followed by the Arts and Crafts exhibition society four years later.  It was not only an aesthetic movement but also a social one; expressing the widespread dissatisfaction with the quality of mass produced items. An admiration for folk art and for the old guilds of medieval craftsmen was also apparent. Large silver manufacturing companies realized that a precious metal and mass production did not really work well together so they turned to artists and designers for guidance.

The principle beliefs of the Arts and Crafts movement was that items should always be what they seemed, no jugs disguised as castle turrets etc, the decoration should enhance the piece not conceal it, silver should never be made to do something out of character.  The hand hammered finish is one of the main characteristics of this style. The smiths encouraged the inequalities of surfaces and as a result the pieces catch the eye in a way the precision and symmetry of machine made objects do not.

Its ideas were started by John Ruskin and given expression by William Morris, the movement also influenced workers such as Charles Robert Ashbee. Ashbee believed that good design and craftsmanship could not come out of mechanical and industrial organizations. This could be said about silversmithing as the use of machinery was by no means essential.  He put his ideas into practice in 1887 when he founded the School and Guild of Handicraft, shapes were kept as simple as possible.

Aesthetic

Characterised by oriental style engraving and applied decoration. Often incorporating bamboo, birds of paradise, cranes, butterflies, and stylized fan-work. Was at its height during the 1860's through the 1880's, but became over-elaborate and was left  behind by major interest in the cleaner lines of the Arts & Crafts movement.

Art Nouveau

This style was first introduced to England circa 1890, and was a product of the Arts and Crafts movement started by William Morris et al and the pre-Raphaelites.  It was a revolt against the mass produced wares of the Victorian era and was adapted to silverware showing free flowing lines, often asymmetrical, with intertwining floral patterns, insects and female faces depicting a great influence from Japanese Art.

The main characteristic seen in most Art Nouveau pieces is a long line with a quick curve at the end this has been said to be reflective of the social mood of the time. Eventually it was its own extravagance that led to its demise.

Art Deco

A style that became popular in the late 1920s and early 1930s, it was a movement against the naturalistic feel of the Art Nouveau designs.  Art Deco drew together various elements, such as structured floral motifs, stylized curves, geometric shapes and abstract patterns.  These ideas ran simultaneously with the cubist movement in fine Art and similarities of the bold graphic shapes are obvious.

Modernism

In the 1950s there came about a complete change in style. Post-war Britain had a renewed interest in form, with the emphasis on sleek modern shapes.  Form did not necessarily have to follow function, form was the most important factor. The early 1960s saw the Modernist ideal of pure line and form, together with unadorned surfaces challenge the traditional equation of high style.

The admiration for hand made items did not blind the new generation of craftsman against the potentials of mass production, their aim was to balance mechanization and hand finish so that silver was again being put to its best use, as a metal for items of luxury and decoration.

Kindle ebook 'A familiar explanation of the art of assaying gold and silver' £0.70 - See More

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

British Decorative silver styles and dates - part 2

From Gold and Silver Hallmarks

To understand and collect Silver it is important to handle and view as much of it as you can.

By examining and comparing Silver close up you can see and notice details that can’t be conveyed in a picture.

It is also important to have an understanding of the historical styles of the silversmiths. This helps to classify silver and also to date the Silver you are looking at.

Although not all the styles are listed here, the list that follows represents the most popular British silver decorative styles.

Victorian

There was more silverware made in the 19th Century than ever before or after, the middle classes had a new found wealth and the British Empire was at its height.  The Industrial revolution was transforming the old craft trades and innovations by plate manufacturers meant great competition for the traditional silversmiths who were still making by hand.

The 18th century passion for antiquarianism continued into the early Victorian era, stimulating a revival of several historic styles that all flourished simultaneously. Naturalism was added to the rococo, gothic, neoclassical etc. styles that were popular and could be seen in abundance at the Great Exhibitions.  Towards the end of the century there came about the Arts and Crafts movement as a reaction against the stylized and mass produced articles now typical  of the period.

Naturalistic

At the beginning of the 1800s experimental work from London influenced the world. The use of nature in neoclassical decoration now lost its symmetry and formality. Natural forms were not only used as decoration but also took over the whole structure.

This is a predominant feature especially between 1825-1850 and at the Great Exhibition of 1851  naturalism ran riot through the English Section.  Botanical interest was very high at this time and developments in travel introduced exotic plants and flowers this was also the time when landscape gardens were very popular for pleasure and social functions and this enthusiasm is reflected in the ornamentation of silver.

Gothic

This style can be characterized by a boldness of form and echoes of medieval architecture, such as spires, pointed arches and cast figures.  It enjoyed a limited vogue and was mostly confined to ecclesiastical silver although it was used in moderation on domestic pieces.

Part 3 Victorian and later Styles
Kindle ebook 'A familiar explanation of the art of assaying gold and silver' £0.70 - See More