Victorian Arts and Crafts silver: Innovation and influence

The talk will focus on the earliest arts and crafts silver dating from 1888-1901. It will highlight this period’s distinctive contribution to radical, early modern, design and also its influence on 20th century silver, both in Britain and abroad. It will evaluate, amongst others, the early contribution of the Keswick School of Industrial Art, Charles Ashbee’s Guild of Handicraft, Nelson and Edith Dawson and the renowned London retailer Liberty’s. It will also consider the influence on this period's metal work of Christopher Dresser's much earlier modernist designs.

Anthony Bernbaum runs The Peartree Collection, one of the leading galleries focused on Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau silver from c. 1890-1945. He established the gallery in 2015 after a near 30 year career in financial services. In 2014 he organised and curated the 150th Anniverary Exhibition on Archibald Knox and has published articles on Archibald Knox, Oliver Baker and the birth of Liberty’s Cymric silver range, cermonial silver trowels and Voysey’s aluminium clocks.

The Victorian Society is an IHBC recognised CPD provider​.