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Pewter is an alloy of tin hardened with small amounts of other metals such as copper, lead, zinc, antimony and sometimes silver. The craft of pewtering started in antiquity - the earliest known item, a flask dating from c1450 BC, was found in Egypt. There are no hallmarks on pewter, although some pewter items have a touch mark, applied by a punch and which usually include the names or initials of the maker. Touch marks have no particular value apart from interest and a guide to the maker. A touch mark bears no relation to the quality of the alloy, and does not carry the same authority as the hallmarks used on gold and silver. W.H. Haseler of Birmingham, a firm of manufacturing goldsmiths and jewellers, manufactured the 'Tudric' range. The firm had formed a partnership with Liberty's in May 1901 to manufacture the 'Cymric' range of silver and jewellery, which Liberty had launched in 1899.
a b "Archibald Knox". Mannin. 7: 381 et seq. May 1916. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012 – via Isle of Man. Knox had an innovative method of teaching art: he collected a set of three thousand glass slides, of examples of design work, to show his students. While showing these he encouraged the students to consider the design principles involved in each, and whether the design met the functional requirements. [27] In addition, Archibald Knox made the extremely successful "Cymric" line in silver objects and "Tudor" in pewter for Liberty & Co. Archibald Knox's designs centred on such Celtic motifs as interlaced patterns, crosses, and knots.
Beautifully crafted pewter gifts created by AE Williams, Birmingham
The designs for the 'Tudric' range, as with Liberty's 'Cymric' range of silver and jewellery, were supplied by the Silver Studio. The Studio had offices in Brook Green, Hammersmith, London. Attributing individual designs of Liberty's wares to particular designers was hampered by Liberty's policy of concealing their identities. Nonetheless, subsequent research has identified the principal contributors. From the Silver Studio they included Rex Silver (1879-1965), the head of the Studio after 1896, his brother Harry Silver (1882-1972), Harry Napper (1860-1930) and John Illingworth Kay. The most prominent, however, was Archibald Knox, a gifted designer from the Isle of Man who started working for the Studio in 1898. Knox died of heart failure in 1933 and was buried in Braddan Cemetery. His epitaph reads "Archibald Knox. Artist. A humble servant of God in the ministry of the beautiful". Pewter is believed to have been introduced to Britain by the Romans, who exploited the main source of tin in Europe at the time, which was in Cornwall. The craft fell into decline after the Romans withdrew from Britain but it is thought that the Cistercian monks reintroduced it after the Norman Conquest in AD 1066. Cadran Cottage, Ballanard Road in Douglas, remodelled c.1910 with design by Knox, was listed as a Registered Building of the Isle of Man in 1996. [40] 'Cadran' means quadrant.
From 1900 to 1904 Knox returned to the Isle of Man, and produced over 400 designs directly for Liberty of London, most notably for the Cymric and Tudric ranges. [23] [24] Their Cymric catalogue stated, “The feature of this development is, its complete breaking away from convention in the matter of design treatment”. [24] "Knox and his colleagues whether they be his fellow designers at the Silver Studio or the Liberty management who gave their undoubted support, had moved the Arts and Crafts stylistic principles one stage further forward and in so doing, had created a distinctive British version of Art Nouveau" (V&A) [25] This work contributed to Liberty's aim of "the production of useful and beautiful objects at prices within the reach of all classes." Knox then returned to teach at Kingston School of Art and Wimbledon Art School 1906/7, again following his friend A. J. Collister. [21] Teaching methods and design principles [ edit ] Archibald Knox Celtic Style Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of his Birth". Isle of Man Post Office. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014 . Retrieved 21 March 2014. Archibald Knox's influence on buildings in the capital" (PDF). Isle of Man Examiner. 18 June 2019. pp.14–15. Rosemary D.Wren "New Light From Old Records - Archibald Knox's approach to his work", in Martin, S. (ed) (2001) Archibald Knox, Artmedia, LondonIn 1975 the V&A Museum staged an exhibition of Liberty's designs. This started a slow increase in awareness of Knox and his work. [39] Archibald Knox (1864-1933) was one of the leading designers of the Arts & Crafts Movement. He is perhaps best remembered for the designs he produced for the iconic London department store Liberty & Co., including those made for their popular Tudric pewter range, which remain sought-after at auction today. To celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Knox's birth, the Isle of Man Post Office issued a set of 10 stamps featuring his designs, released in April 2014. [43] Also in 2014, an exhibition exploring the work of Knox and his Celtic contemporaries ("Celtic Style") was held at the House of Manannan, Peel, Isle of Man. A commemorative concert was held at Peel Cathedral featuring newly composed harp music and also including Manx Gaelic choir music. An exhibition of Knox's work was held at the 42nd Olympia International Art & Antiques Fair in London in 2014. Pewter is a malleable alloy, composed largely of tin with antimony, bismuth, copper and silver. Relatively cheap, it was known as ‘poor man’s silver’, and was very popular at the turn of the century amongst those looking for affordable yet modern pieces for their homes. Liberty’s Tudric range was respected as good quality pewter, with a higher than average proportion of silver. It can be found either polished or left with a dull matte patina.
The other area to be careful of is enamels – this is of course a wider issue than for Knox. Beware “soft” (otherwise called cold) enamel restoration or outright augmentation. There is nothing wrong with restoration (augmentation is another matter) with soft enamels, but you should know what you are buying. A good UV torch will normally reveal all. Also look out for enamel onto pewter. You cannot enamel directly onto pewter, it has too low a melting point, so Liberty inserted enamelled copper roundels. This is perhaps what Knox is best known for and there are several important points to consider as a potential collector. Knox only designed, never made, silver for Liberty & Co and, with a very few exceptions, none of his pieces, or designs, are signed by him. So almost everything that is deemed Knox is, to varying degrees of certainty, attributions. To add to this, Knox’s designs were adapted by Liberty, so you have many pieces which may have Knox motifs, but where the entirety of the piece is not by Knox. In general, pieces which are clearly and wholly by Knox are more expensive, and within that category, those that are most radical and modernist are the most expensive.Knox was born on the Isle of Man to Scottish parents, and his Celtic heritage exerted a powerful influence on the young designer. Not only did he introduce Celtic motifs into his designs, but he also became a published scholar of Manx Celtic crosses and standing stones and collected Manx artefacts. Knox was part of a 'Manx renaissance' of culture and history led by antiquarians. They rediscovered, reconstructed and reinterpreted history and traditions to bolster Manx cultural distinctiveness and devolved political status in the face of economic and social influences from the British Empire and the thousands of visitors to the Island's booming tourism industry. [30] [8] [31] [ unreliable source?] This was part of a wider Celtic Revival echoed in smaller nations across Europe asserting their identities. Mr. Knox's system of teaching was essentially his own. Instead of insisting on the English method of art education by making laborious copies of scraps of museum specimens of 'styles' he made at his own expense three thousand lantern slides, illustrating works of art from prehistoric times down to the gipsy caravans of to-day, showing how Art was produced by the workman in the joy of using his chisel or hammer. To you of MANNIN it will be interesting to know that he gave lectures on your grey thatched homes, your churches, and your crosses, making us love them as if they were our own." [28]
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