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Lot description
Three hemispherical vessel holders; the central carrying handle with a horizontal bar at the top. Decades before the ideas of the Bauhaus turned the rules of silversmithing in Germany upside down, Christopher Dresser revolutionised English decorative arts through his consistent reduction to basic geometric forms and the functional clarity and industrial reproducibility of his designs. Just a few years later, the Arts and Crafts movement proclaimed a return to traditional craftsmanship and incorporating the forms of nature into its designs. As contrasting as these two movements may seem, together they were the pioneers of Modernism in Britain and exerted an early influence on the design language, even far beyond the country’s borders. The collectors of the Seawolf Collection succeeded in bringing together important works by the great silversmiths of the period. Under the title ‘A Personal Touch’, their exhibits were displayed in major European museums between 2003 and 2011, including the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The accompanying catalogue, 'A Personal Touch, The Seawolf Collection, Late 19th- and early 20th-century silver', was published in Rotterdam in 2003. We are delighted to be offering Part II of this collection at auction this spring. Right from the very first lot, a glance at the year of its creation gives a sense of the wonder these designs must have inspired 140 years ago.