Necklace
1901-1902 (hallmarked)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Object Type
In the early 1900s, C.R. Ashbee designed about 12 peacock brooches and pendants.
People
C.R. Ashbee was one of the earliest Arts and Crafts designers of jewellery, his first jewels dating from 1890. He contributed one of the key points, that the value of jewellery lay in its design, not in the monetary value of the materials used. Although this peacock jewel is one of his more sumptuous creations, it would have been modest in price compared with the heavy diamond-set jewellery of its day. Ashbee admired the Renaissance of the 15th century when the 'arts and crafts were one and indivisible': Renaissance artists were goldsmiths as well as painters, sculptors or architects. In 1898 he published a translation of the two treatises of Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571) on goldsmithing and sculpture.
Subject
In 1892 Ashbee wrote on the flyleaf of a bookbinding which D.S. MacColl designed for him that it showed: 'the poor peacock of the Arts and Crafts with its proud tail exploding in fireworks'. The choice of the peacock seems to have been primarily because it was a bold, proud, bird which stood out against a drab and hostile world.
In the early 1900s, C.R. Ashbee designed about 12 peacock brooches and pendants.
People
C.R. Ashbee was one of the earliest Arts and Crafts designers of jewellery, his first jewels dating from 1890. He contributed one of the key points, that the value of jewellery lay in its design, not in the monetary value of the materials used. Although this peacock jewel is one of his more sumptuous creations, it would have been modest in price compared with the heavy diamond-set jewellery of its day. Ashbee admired the Renaissance of the 15th century when the 'arts and crafts were one and indivisible': Renaissance artists were goldsmiths as well as painters, sculptors or architects. In 1898 he published a translation of the two treatises of Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571) on goldsmithing and sculpture.
Subject
In 1892 Ashbee wrote on the flyleaf of a bookbinding which D.S. MacColl designed for him that it showed: 'the poor peacock of the Arts and Crafts with its proud tail exploding in fireworks'. The choice of the peacock seems to have been primarily because it was a bold, proud, bird which stood out against a drab and hostile world.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver and gold, set with blister pearls, diamond sparks and a demantoid garnet for the eye, with three pendent pearls |
| Brief description | Jewellery, England. Silver and gold, set with pearls and diamond sparks. Designed by C. R. Ashbee. English; London, 1901. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | London hallmarks for 1901-02 |
| Gallery label | British Galleries:
In jewellery, Arts and Crafts designers stressed the importance of colour, symbolism and design, rather than making work dominated by expensive gemstones. C.R. Ashbee was one of the first members of the movement to design jewels: his earliest work dates from 1890.(27/03/2003) |
| Object history | Designed by Charles Robert Ashbee (born in Isleworth, near London, 1863, died in Godden Green, Kent, 1942) in 1901; made by the Guild of Handicraft Ltd. at Essex House, London Bears Dutch import marks and was probably exported to The Netherlands |
| Summary | Object Type In the early 1900s, C.R. Ashbee designed about 12 peacock brooches and pendants. People C.R. Ashbee was one of the earliest Arts and Crafts designers of jewellery, his first jewels dating from 1890. He contributed one of the key points, that the value of jewellery lay in its design, not in the monetary value of the materials used. Although this peacock jewel is one of his more sumptuous creations, it would have been modest in price compared with the heavy diamond-set jewellery of its day. Ashbee admired the Renaissance of the 15th century when the 'arts and crafts were one and indivisible': Renaissance artists were goldsmiths as well as painters, sculptors or architects. In 1898 he published a translation of the two treatises of Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571) on goldsmithing and sculpture. Subject In 1892 Ashbee wrote on the flyleaf of a bookbinding which D.S. MacColl designed for him that it showed: 'the poor peacock of the Arts and Crafts with its proud tail exploding in fireworks'. The choice of the peacock seems to have been primarily because it was a bold, proud, bird which stood out against a drab and hostile world. |
| Bibliographic reference | Joyasde del Modernismo Artista a la Vanguardia. Barcelona: Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya. p. 81, no. 43. ISBN 9788480432252 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.23-1965 |
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| Record created | March 27, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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