Contents The Company
Editor: David Beasley
Assistant Editor: Eleni Bide
Editorial Assistant: Sophia Tobin Copyright
Company News
TheNew
An interview with William Parente, the new Prime Warden, should have the following advice: ‘Expect the unexpected’. His surname is Italian and yet he is responsible for one of the oldest estates in England. He underwent a typical public school education – Eton, followed by Worcester College, Oxford – but has had an unorthodox career in the theatre, script writing, film production and film journalism. In conversation he talked of literature and the arts and also about his beloved Tottenham Hotspur and his passion for skiing, all the while accompanied with humour and spontaneous laughter. He is immediately engaging.
His early life was unusual, in that he was the son of an Englishwoman and an Italian who married in 1950, not long after the end of the war. His mother was the daughter of the 7th Duke and Duchess of Portland and she met his father, Prince Gaetano Parente, in Capri where both families owned adjoining estates. She married ‘the boy next door’. Her life was cut short by poliomyelitis in 1955 when William was four years old. Thereafter he lived with his father but went to school in Switzerland between the ages of seven and nine. He then went to England to Summerfields, Oxford, for his primary education and went on to Eton where he won a scholarship and discovered a love of English Literature, principally Shakespeare – and football. He spent time divided equally between his grandparents, at Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire, and his father in Italy which might account for a certain restlessness, an unwillingness to stand still or to accept the status quo. He is bilingual in English and Italian and is an expert skier – a skill he is proud to say his children have acquired too.
From Eton he won a scholarship to Worcester College, Oxford, to study English and whilst there was involved in theatre directing and football. He graduated with a Congratulatory First and when he left Oxford started out initially in fringe theatrical productions and scriptwriting. The latter involved more editing and rewriting – he described it as ‘doctoring’ – scripts for films such as MaryShelley’s Frankenstein,directed by Kenneth Branagh in 1994, and Neil Jordan’s 1996 film MichaelCollins.The interesting thing is that although he worked on these scripts in the early 1970s, it took a further 20 years for them to be made!
One long term job which encompassed his love of film and literature was the position of film critic of TheScotsman which he held for 12 years. (There is a Scottish connection – his family has had land in Caithness since the 1850s and has deep roots in the community there). Larègledujeu (1939) by Jean Renoir is his favourite film and is, for him, a complete work of art, fully realised. The journalism led on into the financing and production of films, and here the film of which he is proudest is Kirk Jones’ gentle comedy Waking Ned, a film which, in its unassuming way, has something of Renoir’s humane comedy about it.
Prime Warden
byDavidBeasley
Since he was the only child of his generation it was inevitable that the inheritance of his mother’s family, the CavendishBentincks, perhaps better known as the Dukes of Portland, would pass through him. His mother’s sister, Lady Anne Cavendish-Bentinck, effectively took over the role of his mother when the latter died, and he formed a strong bond with her and his grandparents at Welbeck Abbey.
The Dukedom passed out of the family through a lack of male heirs and is now extinct. In 1977 his grandmother, Ivy, the 7th Duchess, established an arts-based charity, the Harley Foundation, named after Edward Harley, 2nd Earl of Oxford, the art collector and ancestor. William is very much ‘in post’ as Chairman of the Foundation and is aware of the way in which it has revived the Welbeck estate by investing in craft-based workshops which have infused it with new life and creativity. Tan Gallop, West and East are the names of the three main sets of workshops. East was the latest, set up in 1995, and features much larger workshops for the type of craft businesses which require more space – restoring historic organs, large furniture and those needing large kilns. These workshops were designed by John Outram in what William described as the ‘high Babylonian style’ which conjures images of the epic films of Cecil B. De Mille (and the accompanying scenery). By all accounts, the Prince of Wales fell silent when first viewing them, and it was, perhaps, not with awe but horror! At the present time there are 23 craft studios at Welbeck and, for several years, it was, of course, the home of the Japanese silversmith, Hiroshi Suzuki, whose permission to stay in the country had been greatly aided by the Company’s representations to the Home Office.
Along with the workshops, an important provision was the Harley Gallery which exhibits the work of contemporary artists and attracts 100,000 visitors annually. Modern silver from the Company’s own collection was shown there in 2004. Looking into the future, the Foundation has not forgotten its own heritage. A major project is a new gallery, which will open in 2015, to display the historic contents of Welbeck Abbey and other family properties. The house itself is open for 30 days of the year, and this new venture will enable visitors to see some of the extraordinary paintings and objects accumulated and collected by earlier generations of the Cavendish-Bentinck family. Perhaps the original portrait of Sir Hugh Myddelton by Cornelius Jonson, which came through the Harley family and a copy of which hangs in the Court Room at Goldsmiths’ Hall, might feature in the display.
One can only imagine the wealth of material available. The family’s collecting continues today. William himself collects 20th century British art, and his favourite work is a landscape by Edward Burra.
Besides the Foundation’s Welbeck estate in Nottinghamshire, there are estates in Northumberland, in Caithness in Scotland and the Villa Monte San Michele in Capri which was originally purchased by his mother’s grandfather. It is not surprising to learn that William travels extensively during the year –for both business and leisure – and is closely involved in overseeing the management of these varied assets. He was High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire, is a Deputy Lieutenant, and is also a Governor of Burghley House, Vice-President of the Historic Houses Association, and Chairman of the City and Guilds School of Arts and Crafts Property Trust. He sits on the boards of various property, financial and charitable trusts. He strongly believes that life is for learning, and that this never stops – his many responsibilities certainly offer ample opportunities to put this maxim into practice.
He strongly believes that life is for learning, and this never stops
His link to the Goldsmiths’ Company came through Sir Edward Ford who was his godfather and proposed him for the Freedom in 1987. He was clothed with the livery in 1993 and elected to the Court in 2004, has served as Chairman of the Modern Collections Committee and sits on the Finance Committee. He was initially apprehensive about the Company’s decision to develop the Goldsmiths’ Centre but readily admits that the hard work of the Clerk, Peter Taylor and, in particular, Martin Drury and Dame Lynne Brindley, has paid off and the Company has a building of which it can be immensely proud. He is intending to devote more time in his busy life to the Company’s affairs in his year of office and hopes that his wife, Alison, and his children, Daisy and Joe, will become more familiar with the Hall. His main aim is to continue his predecessors’ work in engaging with the members and involving them more closely in the Company’s affairs as well as raising the profile of the Company in the outside world. This message lies at the heart of the Company’s new vision and, in this way, the Company may expect the expected –with a personal touch.
Image: Christopher Cormack
To say it has been a privilege to serve as Prime Warden would be an understatement. I feel very honoured and would like to thank all the members of the Court, Livery, Freedom and staff for their support. It was a unique experience, and one common thread ran through the company and the wider Livery movement – I received such a welcome.
I have sought, during my year, to act as an ambassador for the Company both within the trade and outside it. Within the trade the pressure on the economy has been deeply felt. However the trade has responded magnificently in my view and has recognised that it is now in a global market. Our skills have served us well, and the pieces being commissioned are ones of which we should be justly proud. I am full of admiration for the work of our young designers and craftsmen.
The work of the Goldsmiths’ Centre is beginning to bear fruit, and I was immensely proud that, of all the trainees in the UK doing City and Guilds qualifications, one of our Foundation trainees won one of only 72 medals of excellence which were awarded. This was a most commendable performance not only for the successful trainee but also for the Centre. This March I also had the pleasure of being present when the Centre won the College Cup, awarded to the teaching institution which had achieved the highest
points total in the annual Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council competition. This was a remarkable feat in only the second year of the Centre’s operation.
The Company’s support for the trade was exemplified by a dinner held at the Hall hosted by trade Liverymen. This was a well-attended event with an international flavour, recognising the global market which the Company now services.
One especial highlight of my year has been the exhibition of the Cheapside Hoard at the Museum of London. It has been fascinating to reflect on the skills of the early 17th century craftsmen whose work is exquisite when one considers that it was accomplished without the modern aids of today. This Hoard was found on Goldsmiths’ property in 1912 and this was the first time that all the jewellery has been displayed together. The Museum recognised the assistance it received, from both the Assay Office and the Library, as well as the Company’s financial contribution to the exhibition.
Now in its 31st year, the Goldsmiths’ Fair has proved everpopular. I was particularly pleased to welcome other members of the Livery movement to it. This evening event was a sell out and I am aware that a number of new commissions arose from it.
During the year I have visited our affiliates in the armed forces: 7 Rifles and 30 Squadron. The pressure on the forces today does not become easier, and I was very pleased to meet three of the soldiers who have just returned from Afghanistan. The importance of the work of 30 Squadron cannot be underestimated, and the tours of duty are particularly onerous. A group of Liverymen visited 30 Squadron in the last week of my year. The Company is seeking to strengthen its links and to involve members of the armed forces in its activities. Unfortunately I was unable to visit the new aircraft carrier, Queen Elizabeth, the Company’s latest affiliation, but the progress of her construction is being watched with interest.
I was delighted also to visit Woodrow High House in Buckinghamshire which is run by London Youth, an organisation with which the Company has had a long involvement. It was a pleasure to experience, at first hand, the work it does for the community in giving confidence to those young people attending the courses there.
Supporting Paralympic sailors as they seek to achieve their golden dream by competing at the Rio Paralympics is one of the Company’s charitable projects this year. Following closely the progress of our grantees, I am personally delighted to hear that one of them has now moved into the GB squad. The disabilities which they have to overcome are
Past Prime The Warden
byRichardAgutter
eye-opening, and a day is being planned later in the year for Liverymen to become involved in this project. I have already been to Weymouth where they are training, and I can guarantee that it is an experience not to be missed. The Company’s support and commitment to these sailors makes a very real difference to them.
I have sought, during my year, to act as an ambassador for the Company both within the trade and outside it
On a personal note, the results at the Great Twelve sailing competition at Seaview on the Isle of Wight were very pleasing. The weather was ideal, and it was very rewarding to come back with a silver prize – a ‘first’ for the Goldsmiths Company. As a result ‘Laying up’ Dinner was held at the Royal Yacht Squadron, courtesy of Sir Jerry Wiggin, and the Company’s own sailors are looking forward to the event this summer with renewed vigour as they seek to retain their ‘silver’. Indeed the Deputy Clerk is planning to double the fleet in order to achieve it.
Lesley and I will remember the year for many things but, above all, for the friendship we have received.
Richard Agutter with Gareth Price (left), Head of Development at London Youth and Martin Curtis, Head of Centre at Woodrow High House. Image: Ciorsdan Brown
at the year Looking Back
Ultra Vanities
Visitors to the Hall last summer were greeted with a glittering display of virtuoso boxes and minaudières recalling a bygone era. The glamour of a 1930s Parisian salon was recreated in the Exhibition Room which featured examples from Cartier, Boucheron and other famous jewellers.
Goldsmiths’ Company Pavilion
Style and substance were also in evidence at Somerset House in June when Goldsmiths’ Pavilion opened for its second year at this venue. Featuring, for the first time, a selection of furniture, chosen by the Furniture Makers’ Company, the show included a number of jewellers and silversmiths who were new to the Company’s roster of star exhibitors.
Studio Silver Today at Belton
Belton House, the National Trust property near Grantham, is playing host, from March to November, to Angela Cork, the last resident silversmith under this scheme. Angela Cork has been inspired by the Regency staircase in the house and a visitor, entering the prize draw, may take away something more tangible than memories of the interiors. A chased silver beaker is the prize!
New Designers 2013
Students from Sheffield Hallam and Edinburgh College were successful at last June’s exhibition in Islington. Florence Carter and Kelly Munro won the Goldsmiths’ Company’s top prizes. The latter’s candlestick holders were praised by the judges, who noted her “huge potential”, whilst Kelly and her silver brooch impressed with her “great use of colour and sensitivity”.
Images: © James Champion for New Designers
Image: Jonathan Tickner Image: Julia Skupny
Image: Richard Lea-Hair
BACK AT THE YEAR
Young Designer Silversmith Award
Award-winner Kyosun Jung celebrated the presentation of her silver sake set to the V&A at a reception held in the museum’s silver galleries in September. Having won the design competition in 2012, her finished piece subsequently received a prize in the 2013 Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council competition.
New Goldsmiths’ Centre Apprentices
Peter Taylor, the Centre’s Director, was on hand to congratulate Abigail Buckingham, Sharon Hurtado, Ben Kerridge and Hugo Johnson as they embarked on a new and exciting stage of their careers. On 6 November the four graduates of the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s first pre-apprenticeship programme were bound as apprentices at Goldsmiths’ Hall.
Goldsmiths’ Fair
Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, escorted by Paul Dyson, were in animated conversation with the enameller, Alexandra Raphael, at the Fair on 24 September. Exhibitors were also delighted to meet the Duchess of Wessex on 2 October when she visited the Fair for the first time.
Gift to the University of Cambridge Metallurgy Department
The Prime Warden, in the company of Sir Colin Humphreys (Liveryman and former Goldsmiths’ Professor of Metallurgy), at the opening of the Goldsmiths’ Teaching Suite at the University’s Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy on 29 November. The Company donated £176,000 to equip these rooms, continuing a tradition of support which began in 1908.
Getting Started
‘Pulling guns’ on each other was one of the varied activities undertaken by participants in the GettingStarted course in preparation for meeting and speaking to guests at the evening reception on Thursday 16 January in the Goldsmiths’ Centre.
Trial of the Pyx
The Prime Warden scrutinising carefully his order papers for the hand counting of coins at the Trial on 4 February. He was granted the signal honour of checking 20 platinum coins whose designs celebrated royal events including the christening of HRH Prince George of Cambridge.
Assay Office sub-office at Allied Gold
The Prime Warden gallantly assisted Elizabeth Hunt, with support from fellow director, Jerry Anderson, to cut a golden ribbon to mark the opening of the first new sub-office in the history of the London Assay Office to be established within a manufacturer’s premises. Allied Gold is based in Dalston, East London, and has been producing wedding rings for 30 years.
Image: Imagewise
Image: Julia Skupny
Image: Sophia Tobin
Image: Rachel Hobson
Image: Richard Lea-Hair
Image: Helen Dobson
Image: Julia Skupny
Psychologists have a name for it: frequency illusion. We all experience it. It happens when a word, phrase or some other event comes to our attention, and then reoccurs with improbable frequency shortly afterwards. And so it was for me with QVC. I had never heard of it and then, 18 months ago, I encountered the name twice in the space of a fortnight. On both occasions there was a direct connection to the Goldsmiths’ Company. The first followed a talk on Cheapside Hoard diamonds at a special study day at the Hall when a member of the audience mentioned that she worked for QVC. I had no idea what the poor woman was talking about! A few days later, Brian Hill, Secretary of the Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council (GCDC), telephoned me to talk about the possibility of linking the Cheapside Hoard to the fashion jewellery section of the Council’s annual competition. In the course of the conversation, he mentioned that sponsors for this section in previous years had been QVC. I promised to investigate, and that is how the Museum of London’s first commercial partnership with a multi-national corporation began.
A quick internet search informed me that QVC is an acronym for ‘quality, value, convenience’; that it is a television shopping company founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel of the Franklin Mint in America; and that it had subsidiaries in Germany, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom and China. I discovered too that QVC is one of the largest online department stores; that the jewellery division represented about 30% of its programming; and that the company reaches 290 million homes worldwide.
Armed with this information, I decided to approach QVC to see if it would continue its sponsorship of the GCDC fashion jewellery award and support the Cheapside Hoard competition design brief which Brian and I had put together. A meeting was arranged with Doug Moger, the chief jewellery buyer, and Harriet Berry, the Museum’s licensing manager. Following a visit to see the Hoard and another to QVC’s headquarters in Chiswick, we managed to secure sponsorship for the competition and, most exciting of all, a business partnership to create a collection of jewellery inspired by the Cheapside Hoard.
All museums must generate income and the Museum of London needed a range of jewellery to launch alongside the Cheapside Hoard exhibition which was scheduled to open in October 2013. I was very keen to establish a relationship which would enable us to achieve both objectives in a very short space of time. I should, perhaps, have recalled the words of Daniel Defoe, ‘that Trade is like religion, all men talk about it but few understand’. The challenges were significant because QVC-UK had never had a partnership with a museum, nor one which entailed such complex licencing agreements. There were a number of points to consider. The Museum wanted to sell the items in its own shop and was keen to ensure that the deal was sufficiently flexible to allow the profit margins to be adjusted if the range was taken up by other QVC subsidiaries and an expanding market. It was particularly important that the collection was made to a high standard and, as Doug stated, the ‘first consideration was positioning; we felt that it should be fine jewellery rather than a base metal collection, avoiding synthetic gemstones and utilising natural materials and techniques wherever possible to remain sympathetic to the original artefacts, whilst remaining accessible in terms of pricing’.
Commercial enterprise: a new range of Cheapside
Hoard jewellery
byHazelForsyth
Thirty items from the Cheapside Hoard were selected to inspire the QVC range, reflecting as wide a range of jewellery types as possible: rings, brooches, earrings, necklaces and pendants. QVC then identified two potential manufacturers, eventually opting for a New York based company with factories in China and India, which had created a line of replica jewellery under licence from RMS Titanic Inc. to commemorate the centenary of the shipwreck. This company had a proven track-record with both QVC-UK and its counterparts in the United States; it had the necessary experience to undertake the work, and, crucially, had the capacity to cut its own stones, which Doug pointed out , ‘was an essential part of the project considering there were very few calibrated, modern-cut stones, within the collection’.
The next step was gathering images, dimensions and information about the selected Cheapside jewels which involved a fairly complex process of negotiation between the Museum, QVC and the New York office and its factory. ‘No mean feat’ said Doug ‘considering that the manufacturer had never seen the original items, and some poetic licence was required where items such as pearls were missing from the originals in order to make the replicas look finished’.
After some discussion it was decided to manufacture 20 items with various options of colour and sizing to broaden the appeal to the customer, so that four of the five ring types, for instance, were produced with two different gemstones; some of the pendants had complementary earrings and the necklace had a matching bracelet.
A few months later, Doug visited the JCK jewellery show in Las Vegas where he saw the first round of samples. Some needed no alteration, but others went on to fourth and fifth version samples before the company was satisfied that they could be signed off by the Museum for bulk production. The timetable was so tight that there was no room for manoeuvre with the delivery date, but with a lot of negotiating and begging the stock arrived in hand just in time for three QVC TV shows and the opening of the exhibition. The Museum’s shop sales reflect the public’s interest in the collection. Some ranges have already sold out and orders have had to be increased to satisfy demand. The association with QVC-UK has been a great success, and I hope this will lead to greater things with QVC-America and beyond.
the porcelain which fascinated Renaissance collectors to the embrace of Japanese aesthetics at the end of the 19th century. Today the influence of this region can be found much closer to home, in the form of people rather than exotic objects. A visit to any UK graduation show, trade fair or major gallery will reveal a host of talented jewellers and silversmiths from countries such as China, Korea and Japan, who have decided to study, work and live in Britain. Their contribution to precious metal craftsmanship in this country is undeniable, whether running businesses, teaching or winning prestigious awards. East Asia has its own strong traditions of craftsmanship and a thriving manufacturing sector, so what has motivated them to travel thousands of miles to the UK? Perhaps more importantly, what has made them want to stay?
Caroline Broadhead, Head of BA Jewellery Design at Central Saint Martins (CSM) is well placed to comment on why students from East Asia might be attracted to UK institutions. Just over half of her student intake is international, and the majority of these are from countries such as China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia. She notes that coming to a city like London, with its rich cultural and historical heritage, can be a great draw, but that the strong international reputation for excellence of universities like CSM is very important. The ‘creative approach’ favoured in British design teaching, coupled with a diverse mix of students (and staff) from all around the world, imbue places like CSM with dynamism and are appealing to those who want a personal and professional challenge. Broadhead comments that overseas students also contribute much to their courses, bringing different ways of thinking. As a result, many British universities really are global institutions.
For those who stay on in the UK, education is only the start of their journey. Perhaps the best way to understand what leads these craftsmen to settle so far away from home is to trace individual stories.
Hidemi Asano grew up in the small town of Takarazuka near Osaka, in Japan. She had a childhood introduction to jewellery thanks to a family friend who dealt in gemstones. Studying English Literature at university gave her an interest in English culture, and when, after graduating, she decided to pursue a career in jewellery design, studying in the UK was an appealing opportunity. The strong aesthetic of UK contemporary jewellery and the reputation of the Sir John Cass School of Art made this institution her choice, and she started in 1989. Before arriving in Britain her main cultural references had been David Bowie and the Beatles, so the reality of everyday life was something of a shock. However she found the teaching at the Cass inspirational. Most of her tutors were apprentice-trained and put a great emphasis on hand skills, whereas jewellery training in Japan prioritised Computer Aided Design. Although they occasionally reduced her to tears, they opened her eyes to the creative potential of making, rather than only designing, jewellery. On finishing her studies she travelled to Japan with a portfolio of her work and was offered a solo show in ARTBOX, Yokohama. All of her equipment and materials were in London, and she realised that she would have to return to the UK to make the exhibits.
Twenty-four years later she is still here, based in a workshop in Peacock Yard, near Kennington. Her work is shown in galleries around the country, and she is a member of the Cosmima exhibition collective. Whilst she has exhibited extensively in Europe and has private clients from around the world, her most important market remains the UK. According to Hidemi, the diversity found here, and London’s ability to attract international clients, makes it a particularly good place to base a designer-maker business like hers. As a result she considers herself to be a UK based maker, but with an international outlook, and her designs reflect this broad perspective. Elements of Japanese culture – the landscape of her childhood, the calligraphy she began to learn at the age of four – have strong manifestations in her work. The stones of Bournemouth beach have also been an influence! Japanese minimalism mixed with the rigour of traditional European techniques, which she imbibed at the Cass, have both been important guiding principles. As a result Hidemi is passionate about the
Necklace, 2013, 18 carat rose gold, with pear shaped rubellites, diamonds and pink sapphires by Fei Liu. Image: Fei Liu Fine Jewellery.
(top)
Landscape series brooch, 2012, 18 carat gold with Brazilian agate by Hidemi Asano.
(bottom)
Calligraphy series brooch/pendant, 2009, silver with composite material by Hidemi Asano.
The young Fei Liu came to the UK by mistake. The Chinese graphic design student applied to study with the GIA in America but was rejected. Shortly after, he happened to see an exhibition in Beijing presented by the British Government on education in the UK, where the Birmingham School of Jewellery presentation caught his eye. Birmingham in 1997 was certainly a contrast to New York, his initial destination – the local accent was very different to the English which he had been working hard to teach himself. He also found that Western notions of beauty and art presented a considerable culture shock. However it was at the Birmingham School of Jewellery that he really “discovered jewellery” for the first time. His tutor, Maria Hanson, “changed his life”, encouraging him to loosen up his thinking, to look beyond precious materials and to see the emotional impact of jewellery. Fei considers the teaching which he received to be very different to what was on offer back home, with a stronger emphasis on observation and the development of new ideas.
Like Hidemi, he won recognition from the Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council whilst still a student and gained further accolades shortly after, representing Britain at the BaselWorld jewellery show. After graduating he worked for numerous UK jewellery brands, including Wedgwood, Tie Rack, Firmin & Sons Plc, and Toye, Kenning and Spencer. Firms like Firmin gave him great ‘shop-floor’ experience, working with a production team. The experience also taught him the importance of designing specifically for local markets. However in his spare time he kept making his own jewellery and was retailing his work in Selfridges and Harvey Nichols. By 2006 he had decided to set up his own business. UK institutions played an important role in helping him gain recognition in those early years. He was selected for Goldsmiths’ Fair, and the British Embassy asked him to exhibit cufflinks in Japan, giving him his first experience of exporting. With the onset of the financial crisis in 2008, the decline of the UK market prompted him to look elsewhere, and, in 2009, he opened his flagship store in Beijing. Today Chinese film stars can be spotted wearing his jewellery, and UK sales are springing back too. He recently won the Houlden Bridal Design of the Year award at the 2014 Birmingham Spring Fair, and he insists that the UK market is as important as his overseas business. It is safe to say that Fei Liu is global in his outlook, but he appreciates the British spirit of openness and dedication to quality which has enabled him to flourish. He also knows the value of British design overseas; since 2011 he has annually showcased a group of UK jewellers in prestigious Beijing locations. His aim is to sell British design to Chinese consumers, to inspire young Chinese jewellery designers, and to help British jewellers understand the practicalities of exporting their work.
Misun Won’s first formal jewellery training did not take place in the UK. As a child growing up in Korea, she had always loved making things with her hands and collected fashion magazines to understand how clothes and jewellery worked with the body. Studying jewellery was a natural step, and she spent four years at Hanyang University, Seoul. After graduation she worked as an assistant to a successful Korean artist, Doho Seo, and was struck by the creative impact that experience of foreign cultures had made on his work. Misun decided that she also wanted to broaden her artistic perspective and immerse herself in a different culture. With the whole world to choose from, she was drawn to the UK by Dorothy Hogg’s jewellery, which she first saw online, and, in 2006, she enrolled on an MA programme at Edinburgh College of Art. At first her stay felt like a long holiday, but, at the age of 25, she found it hard to adapt to the differences between the two education systems. While the emphasis in Korea had been technical, with credits earned through class attendance, in Edinburgh the starting point was conceptual, and the aim was to develop a creative voice. With the help of the friendly staff in the small department she soon found herself enjoying her studies and changing her approach to design.
She sold her work for the first time at New Designers in 2008, and then showed at Origin in Somerset House followed by other large UK craft shows. At Inhorgenta the next year she caught the attention of some European galleries. A place at Goldsmiths’ Fair (with support from a bursary) soon followed, and before long her contacts and client base had grown to include clients and galleries in the USA as well as Europe and Britain. Her most important market at the moment is in the UK, although Europe follows closely behind, and she exhibits at continental selling fairs like Sieraad in Amsterdam and Joya in Barcelona.
This extensive experience of living and working in both Britain and Korea has given Misun the broader cultural outlook she sought when moving away from home. It has enabled her to position herself in what she calls “neutral territory” and to examine both cultures with “fresh eyes”. The influences of both countries can be seen in her work: a major inspiration is Korean patchwork, but this highly traditional form is interpreted through Western fractal geometry. Is nationality important to her? Professionally she thinks of herself as a jewellery artist based in the UK, although it could be argued that she is in fact a Scottish maker – she has represented Craft Scotland twice!
Common threads run through the stories of all three makers. All were prompted by a sense of adventure and curiosity to explore the wider world and were anchored to the UK by the excellent teaching offered by its universities. Britain’s diverse internal market and its ability to act as a springboard to the international stage helped to foster their careers. While their horizons stretch to Asia, America and beyond, each appreciates the supportive atmosphere to be found in the creative centres of London, Birmingham and Edinburgh. Their work is enriched by both Asian and European design traditions, and they have in turn enriched British design, bringing new ideas and perspectives.
Caroline Broadhead notes that rapid social and economic changes in Britain and Asia mean it is difficult to predict whether the future will bring more designers from this part of the world to our shores. Many British universities are forging networks and creating exchange programmes with Far Eastern institutions, but recent immigration restrictions mean it is now very difficult for non-EU students to stay in the UK once they have graduated. A potential brain-drain of British-trained international talent sits alongside ever greater cultural cross-pollination. What is certain is that for those with the ambition, bravery and desire for new experiences, East-meets-West can be a potent combination.
Aeon earring (one of a pair), 2013, platinum set with diamonds and antique blue and white China by Fei Liu Image: Fei Liu Fine Jewellery. (left) Keumboo flower ring, 2013, silver, Keumboo (24 carat gold foil) by Misun Won. Image: Paul Hartley (right)
Keumboo Jogakbo brooch, 2013, silver, 9 carat gold, Keumboo (24 carat gold foil), silk by Misun Won. Image: Misun Won
The Sir Hugh Myddelton & Charity New River Company,
byDavidBeasley
On 29 September 1613, to the sound of drums and music, the sluice gates of the New River were opened at the River Head in Islington releasing water, transported from the springs at Amwell and Chadwell in Hertfordshire, into the Round Pond, to be piped from thence to public conduits and private houses in London. This major feat of engineering was achieved by a member of the Goldsmiths’ Company, Sir Hugh Myddelton, with the financial assistance and political support of the King, James I. It was also the beginnings of a charitable bequest which was to benefit poor members of the Goldsmiths’ Company for over three centuries.
It was, no doubt, his contribution to the improvement of the health of London’s citizens that caused a statue of Sir Hugh to be set on Holborn Viaduct in the 1860s. Following redevelopment in that area, the statue has been restored to its full glory and placed on the building on the north-east side of Holborn Viaduct. Such is the public recognition of his achievement that there are, today, two statues (the other is on Islington Green), several streets, a square and a junior school in London bearing his name. Who was he?
Hugh Myddelton travelled from Denbighshire in Wales in 1576 at the young age of 16 to be apprenticed in London to Thomas Hartop. His elder brother, Thomas, was already in London and was to become a powerful figure in the Grocers’ Company. Although it is not certain when he was made a freeman of the Goldsmiths’ Company, there is a loan of £7 8s to him in November 1585 in his brother’s account books. It was at this time that he married for the first time, and apprentices were not allowed to marry unless they had completed their indentured terms. His wife was a widow, Anne Edwards (née Collins), who was his elder – by 18 years. She died, childless, in January 1597 at the age of 54 and was buried in their local church, St. Matthew Friday Street. He remarried a year later – to Elizabeth Olmstead, who was 20 years his junior, and she bore him 12 children. She was an heiress and, coincidentally, the stepdaughter of his brother, Thomas, by his second marriage.
His involvement in the New River Company began in 1609 when he took over a scheme which Edmund Colthurst of Bath had already started but lacked the financial and political power to progress. The plan was to cut a channel to the breadth of 10 feet, and following where possible the contours of the Lea Valley, to bring the spring water from Hertfordshire to the City where fresh water was urgently needed. When completed, the course of the river was approximately 40 miles in length, with a fall of 18 feet from start to finish. The chequered history of the slow progress of the river was related in great detail in J.W. Gough’s SirHugh Myddelton:EntrepreneurandEngineer, published in 1964.
In the Court Room at the Hall is the 17th century portrait of Sir Hugh, attributed to Cornelius Jonson. His left hand rests on a conch shell with the Latin words FontesFodina (rivers mines) inscribed above it. The mines, incidentally, were in his native Wales.
When Sir Hugh died in 1631 he left, in his will, after the death of his wife, one share in the New River Company stock to the Goldsmiths’ Company – there were less than 80 issued. The dividends from that share were to be distributed to the Company’s poor half yearly and, especially, to poor men of his name, kindred or country who were free of the Company. His wife survived until the early 1640s and, in June 1644, the first half-yearly dividend of £14 2s 2d came to the Company. In those troubled days it was not until 29 May 1646 that the Company distributed £52 of the sum of £57 12s 1d, accumulated from two years of dividends. Thirty-one poor men benefited and most were paid £1 6s each (6d a week).
A few members received higher sums - £2 12s and £5 4s.
Over the years the dividend grew, rising in the 19th century from £190 in 1822 to £856 in 1863 and to £3,000 in 1898.
In the Company’s annual accounts, Sir Hugh’s name was still prominent as a benefactor until the First World War. A major reorganisation of the Company’s charities, proposed in 1914, was delayed in its implementation by the hostilities.
Sir Walter Prideaux, the Clerk, turned his attention to the matter again in 1917 and laid out, in great detail, the effect of the introduction, some years earlier, of national pensions on the Company’s own pension scheme. His changes proposed that over 50 charities be subsumed within the Consolidated Charities, the main purpose of which was now to supply income to the Poor Fund which, in turn, was intended to help freemen, their widows and children.
The stock in the Metropolitan Water Board, which had succeeded the New River Company, was transferred, as part of the settling of the finances of those charities, to the corporate account and thereby lost its last link with Sir Hugh’s foundation. The Sir Hugh Myddelton charity ceased to exist in name.
The spring water, which by his ingenuity and endeavour he brought to London from Hertfordshire, did more than slake the thirst of 17th century Londoners. Over three centuries it had provided a valuable income to supplement the meagre earnings of the less fortunate members of the Company. By his generosity and forethought the dividends from Sir Hugh’s one share trickled down, over the years, to the benefit of poor Goldsmiths. Although his name is not known now to those who receive assistance from the Company, it was the money from his charity which contributed to the greater mass of the Consolidated Charities from which funds are disbursed today. Members and Londoners should remember him in this way as they pass those very public reminders of his life.
Detail of the badge worn by Sir Hugh
A rare vocation: Ros Conway
byJuliaSkilton
Ros Conway is one of Britain’s leading enamellers. Based in Woodbridge, Suffolk, she trained at the Central School of Art and Design followed by the Royal College of Art (RCA). Her work is in many public and private collections including Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the Goldsmiths’ Company’s Collection, the Museum of Fine Arts, Texas, USA and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Ros’ journey to becoming an enameller began with her innate appreciation of craftsmanship. At the RCA she found that there was immediate understanding between her small cohort, which included Kevin Coates and Michael Lloyd, enabling strong relationships to form. “There was an attitude to making, to craftsmanship, an attitude to excellence that goes on … [there was] little interest in business, but [of attaining] excellence”. She has maintained this pure approach throughout her life, appreciating craftsmanship in many forms. Indeed her studio is a showcase of dexterous design including Shaker, Jacobsen and Ercol furniture as well as a large collection of antique Japanese textiles.
The textiles are beautiful reminders of Ros’ study trip to Japan, where she was accompanied by Edward De Large (the master of titanium colouring), who sadly passed away recently. The tradition of craftsmanship in Japan inspired both of them. The visit was a result of the Sanderson’s Art and Industry Award, the first of several awards she received in the initial years after leaving the RCA in 1975. Some few years later, Ros received the Northern Arts Fellowship and so spent two years, from 1977-1979, developing her work in a rural cottage in Cumbria. The experience allowed her to focus entirely on her work and develop a collection for her first solo exhibition at the Arnolfini Gallery, Bristol.
A key turning point in her career was her introduction, in 1980, to the painter Hugh O’Donnell at the exhibition British ArtNow in New York. Ideas to make his paintings ‘wearable’ were developed. “Meeting him and working on the brooches inspired me to learn to enamel which I wouldn’t have done otherwise. I loved his enthusiasm; he is an incredibly energetic, enthusiastic person. Suddenly discovering colour like that… it was a whole world … you start to see things in a completely different way… all the nuances of light. You take colour for granted until you start using it”.
Collaborating with Hugh channelled Ros’ appreciation of colour and led to a Crafts Council Award to study enamelling techniques with the renowned enameller Jane Short. This resulted in an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum of a series of Ros’ brooches encapsulating Hugh O’Donnell’s vivid painting. The first brooch of this series was based on basse-taille and cloisonné enamelling techniques and is now part of the museum’s collection.
Ros’ ability to collaborate with other artists is evident throughout her career – “You work on each other’s energy”. In 1990, she received a commission for a processional cross from the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in Sheffield and she asked Michael Lloyd, whose poetic freedom she respects, to collaborate on this piece. The finished piece was a beautiful example of Michael’s chasing and Ros’ enamelling, depicting doves rising around Christ on the cross. Indeed the piece is a collaboration on several levels. She actually based her depiction of Jesus on Michael. “Christ has been depicted so many times before but there’s only one person I know who looks like Christ – Michael!”
(top) Wafer box, 2008, silver, enamel and boxwood, designed and enamelled by Ros Conway, made by Clive Burr. Image: Richard Valencia (left) Hellebore brooch, 2014, silver and enamel, by Ros Conway Image: Richard Valencia
(top) Processional cross, 1990, silver with inlaid gold and enamel with fine gold wires, by Ros Conway and Michael Lloyd. The church of St Francis of Assisi, Sheffield. (left) Brooch, 1983, enamelled silver with fine gold wires, by Ros Conway and Hugh O’Donnell. Image: Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
In 2003 De Beers, in recognition of the quality of her work, commissioned her to make the winner’s trophy for The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes race at Ascot. On this occasion she collaborated with the leading silversmith Clive Burr to create a silver BonBon dishtrophy, incorporating enamelled racing scenes in the Queen Mother’s colours and 56 diamonds. The piece was presented by HM The Queen to the winner, His Highness, The Aga Khan.
Five years after the triumph of the De Beers trophy, the Goldsmiths’ Company commissioned Ros to make a wafer box. Although the Company already had eight examples of her work, Alex Brogden (Modern Collection Committee Silver Consultant) wrote that the wafer box presented the opportunity to create a piece ‘exemplifying silversmithing and enamelling of a very high order.’ Rosemary Ransome Wallis, the Curator, encouraged Ros to capture, in enamel, her surroundings, the rich and diverse natural life on the river Deben where her home, the 100 foot barge Jacoba, has been moored for 34 years. The changing seasons mark the passage of time on the river and Rosemary was sure that Ros’ spiritual nature would be reflected in the commission.
The fragile beauty of the enamelling does not reveal the physical hardship required to make the piece
Ros chose to work again with Clive on the wafer box. The piece is technically challenging for both silversmith and enameller – “the silver had not to move when I fired it, it’s a piece of consummate craftsmanship”. She said that Clive makes things so beautifully, and to have that trust in one’s partner is so important. The box is inspired by the shape of window tracery in Ely Cathedral: three circles combined to form a triangle thereby representing the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Three compartments within the boxwood interior tray each contain 12 slots for wafers, representing the 12 disciples. Her basse-taille and cloisonné enamelling recreates the natural beauty alongside the river Deben including cow parsley, dandelions and hogweed.
However, she has never been an artist to shy away from challenges. Indeed she has always exhibited resilience and has an approach to work and life that seeks challenge and surmounts seemingly impossible tasks. Her work, she told me, requires an incredible amount of patience and resolve. “If somebody tells me I can’t make something, I will try to make it. I think you can make anything”. With these attributes, it is not surprising that enamelling has become her medium of choice.
The fragile beauty of the enamelling does not reveal the physical hardship required to make the piece. “When I was doing that first layer of enamel on the wafer box I was up all night – the whole layer needs to go on in one firing, Laurie our son brought me fish and chips, and by 7am I had to put it in the kiln. I was so tired and shaky. Afterwards it’s always difficult to contemplate doing another like that – it’s pushing yourself to the extreme”.
An illustration of Ros’ determination can be seen in her adoption of the extremely challenging pâtedeverre technique. In 1995 she received a Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) award to study with Diane Hobson, the glass artist. The technique, which has origins in ancient Egypt and Rome, became popular during the 19th century Arts and Crafts Movement in France. This process, which involves fired ground glass worked into a mould, can create, when mastered, beautiful ephemeral and translucent pieces which often resemble spun sugar. Examples of her pâtedeverrepieces are in the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Museums of Scotland. The environmental artist Simon Read has been Ros’ lifelong partner since she was 16. He has stated “it’s one of the things I value – the finesse and knowledge that she puts into things and not letting things just go … even the things that drive you bonkers, getting it right”.
While Ros enjoys challenging herself, she still maintains a strong sense of fun. In 1990, the Crafts Council commissioned her to make a necklace for its collection. The necklace comprises cast hollow silver beads on a nickel chain with encrusted enamelling. The Company also has an example of her encrusted enamel work – salt and pepper pots made in 1993. The pieces, which are marine inspired, have an elaborate enamelling detail completely covering their silver base – a concept which bemuses many onlookers! For these pieces, the silver was utilised for its material properties and not for its traditional preciousness which is so frequently treasured. In so doing she underplayed the intrinsic value of silver in order to heighten the preciousness of enamelling –a highly skilled technique so often undervalued.
Ros’ achievements and her approach to life are sources of inspiration to students. Ros taught at Middlesex University for 25 years and at Brighton for 10, and has been a visiting lecturer at the Sars-Poteries Atelier in northern France, the Fachochschule in Düsseldorf, the RCA and Central St Martins in London. Ros will continue to inspire students as a mentor in the Company’s new Master Craftsmen Internship programme commencing this year.
As a teacher and an artist she knows one can never get complacent about enamelling – everything can go wrong.
“It’s one of those crafts that you never fully learn, you think you have it mastered but you don’t. You need a lot of patience”. This approach is a characteristic of the best teachers, those always seeking to improve and to learn more about the subject, with students who are on the same journey.
‘Ros’ humbling approach has led to an extraordinary life and career. When asked what she is working on at present, she showed me commissions from two longstanding clients –two beautiful hellebore brooches and a necklace created from mix-match earrings in the form of an Honesty seed pod and a Ginko leaf. The earrings had been made, a few years ago, and now she was turning them into a necklace for the client’s daughter. It is testament to her work that clients continue to commission her.
Ros is simultaneously planning and designing a house – a new era after 34 years on her barge, Jacoba. In true fashion, she mused “I know building the house is going to be a huge project and things will go wrong, and just like making something ... it’s a slog … and really painful … but when you’re done it’s great”. But then she stated that “it’s all normal to me”: her extraordinary career and lifestyle is “not a business, not a hobby, it is a vocation I suppose...it is rare”. Ros’ pure approach has created exceptional work to treasure and her pieces will astound and inspire future generations – in equal measure.
The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes De Beers trophy, 2003, silver, diamonds and enamel, designed and enamelled by Ros Conway, made by Clive Burr. Pictured with design.
Image: Paul Hartley
Necklace, 1989-90, silver, nickel and enamel, by Ros Conway. Crafts Council Collection: J199. Image: Todd-White Art Photography.
The Goldsmiths’ Company owns two beautiful illuminated books of ordinances which were the rules and regulations by which the Company was governed. These ordinances were written down so that they could be read out on ‘quarter days’ when the whole Company was assembled and goldsmiths could not therefore claim ignorance of any of these bye-laws. Attendance at these meetings was obligatory, and fines were levied for those members who were absent without good cause. In fact fines for absence were a very good source of income for the Company. Those were the good old days!
The earlier of the two books was begun in 1478 following the decision of King Edward IV, to allow owners of gold and silver wares bearing his mark, the leopard’s head, to sue the Goldsmiths’ Company if, subsequently, the metal content of those wares proved substandard. Major changes took place within the Company with the appointment of a Touch Warden and a Common Assayer. This book contains numerous rules regarding the elections and duties of officers; apprentices; shop keeping; working in gold and silver; and other matters which open a window to the trials and tribulations which beset members of the Company at this period. Its contents are recorded in the appendix of the fascinating early history of the Goldsmiths’ Company by T.F. Reddaway and L.E.M. Walker.
The focus of this article, however, is the second book of ordinances, parts of which date from 1513 – half a millennium ago. Besides the updating of the rules and regulations which, by now, had to receive the approval of officers of the King, the main interest of this particular book lies in the Company’s charter; a shield bearing the Company’s arms; and a lapidary; all of which are contained therein.
At the back … is the lapidary … an essential textbook for the mediaeval jeweller wishing to impress potential customers
of The
Ordinances Second Book
byDavidBeasley
The charter begins with an illuminated capital (H) within which is seated a full length figure of Henry VIII. It is tempting to link the payment of 20 shillings to an unnamed ‘limner’ in 1510 with this figure but there are distinct holes in the evidence. This particular payment was related to the ‘Confirmation’, a case which cost two shillings, and the ‘liming thereof’ the 20 shillings previously quoted. One can deduce that the somewhat enigmatic term ‘confirmation’ was related to the charter because, at an assembly held on 12 October 1510, it was agreed that the Mayor should be allowed to see the confirmation of the Company’s charter. However was this charter a more elaborate one and one which, in addition, had a beautiful case? Certainly the copy of the charter in this book is not as magnificent as other early charters held by some of the other livery companies and possibly would not warrant a case to hold it. Further research is required on the portrait of Henry VIII. He does look rather portly and, if the illumination was painted circa 1510, is that an authentic image of the young King?
The second significant element in the book is the shield of the Company’s coat of arms. It is illustrated in colour and is thought to date from c.1510. As such it is the earliest version of the arms in the Company’s records. It is not the full grant of arms, which was awarded in 1571 and which did include crest, supporters and motto. One of the resonant phrases in the 1571 grant referred to the arms ‘borne time out of mind’ and this present version, and earlier ones of the shield from the 14th century, would bear out this statement.
At the back of the second book is the lapidary, an everyman’s guide to the history, properties and characteristics of gems and an essential textbook for the mediaeval jeweller wishing to impress potential customers. The understanding of the natural world was less scientific in those days and it was believed, for example, that some stones could be sown like seeds and would reproduce themselves as wheat or corn might do. The book has attractively illuminated capitals but the main focus of interest is an illumination of Evax, the ‘King of Arabye’ who is depicted presenting the lapidary to the Emperor Tiberius. Images of these illuminations have been sent to a researcher at the University of York and it is hoped, in time, that it might be possible to identify the hand of the illuminator, and, perhaps, that of the scribe as well.
Five hundred years on, books such as these are still a source of wonderment. Within the covers of this particular volume there is still much to discover about its genesis and significance to the Company. The careful bibliographical study of its contents and its composition may reveal these secrets.
All images: Richard Valencia
“Mr Wilding’s Downstairs”
byJudyRudoe
In 1969, the silver collector Peter Wilding (1907-1969) bequeathed to the British Museum, along with his Huguenot silver, 17 gold cigarette cases that he had commissioned from Cartier London in the last decade of his life. He knew, from the outset, that he wanted them to end up in the Museum as the appropriate place to demonstrate the survival of outstanding skills in traditional design and craftsmanship.
The project came about through his friendship with Ian Fleming, developed during the war when they had both worked in Naval Intelligence. Both men were fans of Fabergé, and, in one of his short stories of 1963, Fleming had even described a visit to Wartski, the great Fabergé dealers. Shortly before then, Wilding and Fleming had been walking down Bond Street together and they stopped to admire some Fabergé boxes. As related by Wilding’s sister, the late Mrs Ann Hay, Fleming said to Wilding, “I bet you couldn’t get boxes like that made now”. Determined to prove him wrong, Wilding went to the one firm that he knew could do it: Cartier. Thus began his extraordinary collaboration with Cartier’s designers and craftsmen.
For the craftsmen involved it was an exceptional commission. Wilding’s boxes were among the best things they ever made. The author is indebted to many of them: the late Arthur Withers, David McCarty, Gerald Mayo and Jack Perry of Wright & Davies (the firm which executed the goldwork for Cartier), Graham Hamilton of enamellers Kempson & Mauger, and Brian Kneuss, son of the master engine-turner, Jules Kneuss. Invaluable information also has come from Joe Allgood, Cartier’s Managing Director at the time of the commission, the firm’s archivists, Peter Wilding’s sister and niece and the late Arthur Grimwade.
After the war Wilding settled in the West Indies and then Spain, for health reasons. In a letter to Grimwade in early 1958 he wrote, ‘I have not had a new cigarette case for months, and I believe a new Cartier would restore morale’. Wilding must have been well aware of the effect of the punitive wartime purchase tax on new luxury goods sold in the UK. Jewellery and goldsmiths’ work were taxed heavily. In the later 1950s and 1960s it fluctuated between 25% and 55%, exerting a colossal dampener on the making and selling of new work. But the tax was not applied to exports, and so Wilding, living abroad, had a huge advantage.
In Allgood’s words: “When Peter Wilding first came in and saw Kenneth Foreman, the salesman who handled Wilding’s commissions, he talked about having special boxes made to prove that the art of the goldsmith and the art of the enameller were still alive, particularly in London, and that Cartier could produce cases as good as they could be produced, shall we say, 50 or 60 years before. He wanted forever to prove that even at that period which was so difficult, we still had a workshop capable of making these lovely items.”
‘I
have not had a new cigarette case for months, and I believe a new Cartier would restore morale’
The boxes fall broadly into two groups: those in which the decoration relies on the engine-turned gold for effect (the larger group); and those in which the dominant effect is created by the addition of enamel. All are enhanced with stones of one kind or another, whether coloured hardstone plaques at the ends, or a simple gemstone push-piece. In some cases Wilding supplied the stones himself and so the box was designed around them.
(Left) Engine-turning. Rectangular boxes: ‘hobnail’ pattern (back) in coloured gold marquetry, 1970, and ‘wood-knot’ pattern (front), 1963. Cylindrical boxes: moiré pattern (back), 1963; wave pattern (middle), 1968: basket weave pattern, (front), 1966.
(Above) Enamelling. Left: deep blue with white Celtic-style motif, Brazilian topazes, 1968; (front): opal enamel over engine-turning; (back): vertical box, pale blue on silver, 1968; (back right): white enamel, 1969; (right): red enamel over engine-turning, 1963.
Wilding worked closely with Cartier’s in-house designer, Rupert Emmerson, supervising the execution of each box and rejecting anything that he did not consider good enough. Those who dealt with Wilding remember vividly that he had unprecedented access both to Emmerson and to Wright & Davies, the sub-contracted workshop where the boxes were made. Normally clients would deal only with the salesman. According to Joe Allgood, Wilding came back to Cartier again and again to check the designs every time he was staying in London for a week or two. On being told “Mr Wilding’s downstairs”, Emmerson knew that he would never get any other work done. Emmerson trained in jewellery design at the Chiswick School of Arts. Together with the Central School of Arts and Crafts, it was one of two institutions that taught jewellery design at that time and was a fruitful recruiting ground for Cartier designers: James Gardiner, George Charity and Frederick Mew also trained there.
Wright & Davies was then in Hardwick Street, off Rosebery Avenue. As with the designers’ studio, Wilding came in regularly to check on progress; he was the only client permitted by Jean-Jacques Cartier to have direct contact with the workshop. In that one workshop alone there were a number of different specialists: box makers, engine-turners, engravers and polishers. Arthur Withers, who worked there from 1946 until 1980, recalled this expertise vividly and remembered exactly who had made some of the boxes, especially the more difficult ones. Most of them were made by Dick Richards and his nephew, Jack Perry, as well as Jack Perry’s master Charlie Geere, who had won the first Jacques Cartier Memorial Award in 1958.
Withers remembered how difficult it was to make some of the Wilding boxes: for the box with applied white gold rods, the surface was engineturned to produce the ribs and troughs, and the white gold rods were then riveted onto the troughs, using two pins of softer green gold. Drilling the holes and making sure the pins were in the right place was fiendishly hard and was undertaken by Samuel Mayo, the workshop manager. Always addressed by his staff as ‘Mr Mayo’, he maintained the formal atmosphere customary at that time: his staff all wore brown coats but his was white. The last box to be completed after Wilding’s death, the hexagonal box with all-over mother-of-pearl inlay, was made by David McCarty, Withers’ first apprentice. Then in his late twenties, McCarty recalls cutting the pieces for the mother-of-pearl inlay himself. The pieces were laid onto a single layer of gold and kept in place, on each side, by a gold frame with inward-pointing triangles echoing the honeycomb pattern of the pearl inlay. Lastly, the ends were slotted on to secure the whole. The emeralds had been previously cut by Cartier’s own workshop, English Art Works, and set into the shield-shaped polygonal settings round the ends. Four of them formed the feet, the box resting on the angled surface of the faceted emeralds.
Wright & Davies had two turners –Jules Kneuss and his pupil, Gerald Mayo. It was Kneuss who engineturned the Wilding boxes. Kneuss (1902-1993) was born in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland and came to London in 1916, working initially with his uncle, an engine-turner, until he was taken on by Wright & Davies. He retired in 1969, but continued to work for Wright & Davies on a part-time basis. The variety and complexity of the patterns, on curved as well as straight surfaces, are extraordinary, from basket weave and wave patterns to fine wood-knots creating a watered silk effect. According to Withers the hobnail pattern box was particularly tricky. Made of a sheet of gold marquetry in yellow, red and white gold, the vertical cuts were done first, then the box was turned through 90 degrees and the small cuts were made on the wider ribs, bringing the lathe off and in again. If the ribs are not absolutely flat, it is impossible to do.
The enamelling was executed by the nearby firm of Kempson & Mauger, which has been in existence since the late 19th century. Initially in Myddelton Street, the firm’s premises were moved, in 1968, to Rosebery Avenue, where they backed onto the Wright & Davies workshop.
There are some outstanding enamel boxes: the cylindrical box with red enamel in the Fabergé style and the upright square-section box with end opening and pale blue enamel over panels of engine-turned silver, imparting a cool steel grey tint to the colour. Another one is the deep blue enamelled box, with a white enamel Celtic-style motif in the champlevé technique, in which the ground is engraved to take the enamel, leaving a thin line of gold standing proud in the centre of the white. Withers recalled that only Peter McCabe at Kempson & Mauger could do these thin lines. It is a measure of the complexity and status of these boxes that Withers, and also Graham Hamilton, both of whom were in the workshop at the time, remembered the craftsmen who enamelled them: Eddie Manning for the oval white enamel cylindrical box with the gold cagework ends and George Warrinder for the box with opal enamel over wavy lines.
Equally essential to the finished effect, but all too often ignored, is the polishing, both on the exterior and inside. Alf Traylen of Wright & Davies polished the Wilding boxes. Withers remembered his reputation for inside work being unsurpassed, illustrated by the finish of the corners inside the hexagonal box or inside the upright cube box where the interior can only be reached from one end. Today the box would have a lining which could be removed for polishing, but Alf Traylen did it with a ‘flick’ mop which ran at 2,000 revs per minute, yet he could still ‘flick’ it inside. The boxes with coloured gold marquetry, however, were left matt inside: polishing would have obscured the subtle colouring of the inlay work, where pieces in the different colours of gold were soldered together to form a sheet which was then made up.
The variety and complexity of the patterns, on curved as well as straight surfaces, are extraordinary
Wilding’s far-sighted commission, requiring specialist knowledge of both materials and techniques, must have meant a great deal to Cartier in a period when few could afford to commission luxury goods of this kind. Wilding was not an easy patron, but the craftsmen were delighted to work with a client who not only appreciated their skills but also encouraged them to use those skills in ever more complex and innovative ways. And he won his bet!
Hexagonal cigarette case in gold with mother-of-pearl inlay, lapis lazuli ends, emeralds for push-piece and round edges, completed 1972.
(top) Detail of engine-turning: wave pattern with diamond motif.
(bottom)
Case of coloured-gold marquetry with engine-turning. ‘Billiard cue’ pattern, 1967.
In 1551, the first English edition of Thomas More’s Utopia was published in London. The translation from the Latin was produced by Ralph Robynson, who described himself on the title page of the book as a ‘Citizein and Goldsmythe of London’. Robynson’s version of this famous text proved highly popular and is still in print today; but although his translation is now widely celebrated, his connection with the London Goldsmiths’ Company has received comparatively little attention from historians and literary scholars. However, an examination of Robynson’s biography suggests that his company membership did in fact play a crucial part in shaping his life and career. As such, an investigation of his connection with the Goldsmiths’ Company can shed new light on this important literary figure in early modern London.
Robynson was born in 1520 in Lincolnshire, where he attended Grantham and Stamford grammar schools. He entered Corpus Christi College, Oxford, on 3 August 1536, graduating BA in October 1540 and MA in March 1544. He then moved to London where he joined the Goldsmiths’ Company as an apprentice to Sir Martin Bowes, one of its most prominent and influential members. Robynson served his seven-year apprenticeship as a clerk in the Tower Mint, during which time he also worked on his manuscript of Utopia.He was made free of the Goldsmiths’ Company in October 1551, and his translation of Utopia was published very shortly thereafter. The timing of Utopia’s appearance is therefore significant because it marked the completion of Robynson’s apprenticeship and his admission into the company; and also, by extension, it celebrated his new identity as a citizen and freeman of London.
As Robynson explained in his preface to Utopia, he was encouraged to make the translation by a group of friends in London. Chief among these was the haberdasher George Tadlowe, who sponsored the first edition in 1551. Tadlowe was an old friend and client of Robynson’s patron, Martin Bowes; it is therefore likely that Bowes was one of the instigators behind the publication, although he is not named as such in the text. Instead, the first edition of Utopia
RalphRobynson(1520-1577) a 16th century goldsmith & translator
byJenniferBishop
was dedicated to William Cecil, Secretary of State to Edward VI. Cecil and Robynson had attended grammar school together, and Robynson maintained contact with his old schoolfriend throughout his life, asking for his patronage and assistance on several occasions. Three letters from Robynson to Cecil are held in the British Library – these are all written in Latin, and include requests for financial aid, along with a set of Latin verses composed by Robynson and presented as a New Year’s gift.
A second, revised edition of Robynson’s Utopia appeared in 1556, with the dedicatory letter to Cecil replaced by an address to the ‘gentle reader’. Although this was the second and final book published by Robynson during his lifetime, he continued to work as a professional writer and translator for the rest of his life: not in a private capacity, but as Clerk of the Goldsmiths’ Company. He had first been considered as a candidate for the clerkship in 1551, but the position was given to another goldsmith, Roger Mundy. When Mundy retired six years later due to old age, Robynson was waiting to take over. At Martin Bowes’ recommendation, he was elected to the Livery, and shortly thereafter he moved into the Clerk’s quarters in Goldsmiths’ Hall, where he would live and work for the next 20 years.
As Clerk, Robynson occupied a unique position in the company’s hierarchy, and he had a number of duties and responsibilities. He kept
the company court minutes, as well as drawing up contracts, leases, licences, and indentures. Several of these documents survive in the court minutes, some bearing Robynson’s distinctive signature. In addition to these administrative tasks, Robynson’s creative skills were in demand from individual company members: he received several commissions from the Wardens to create pamphlets and books for their private use, and he was also entrusted with translating the company’s charter from Latin into English. He took some pride in these tasks, noting in the court minutes when the recipient of one of his texts ‘lyked very well of it’.
Robynson also acted as a chronicler of life outside the Hall, and his surviving writings contain detailed descriptions of civic events and ceremonies. In July 1559, for instance, he wrote an account of a military display which was put on by London citizens to entertain Queen Elizabeth at Greenwich; he described how the young men of the Goldsmiths’ Company dressed up in military attire for the occasion, and
‘contended emonge themselfes eche to passe other in riche and gorgious araye’. As well as providing detailed written accounts of these events, Robynson also took part in several civic rituals himself. In April 1567, for instance, he described his participation in a ceremony at which a member of the Goldsmiths’ Company was made Sheriff of London. As a member of the Livery, Robynson would have appeared in many of the company’s processions in the City; he was therefore wellplaced to observe and comment on these events, and his descriptions in the company records reflected his role as both a writer and an active citizen in Elizabethan London.
In 1576, Robynson became ill and was granted financial aid by the Wardens. He died in the spring of 1577, and was buried in the parish of St John Zachary in London. His widow, Margaret, married Richard Reade, Robynson’s successor as Clerk. Robynson’s most famous legacy is his translation of Utopia,which continues to be popular today. However, the writings that he produced for the Goldsmiths’ Company, although not as celebrated as his published work, are arguably equally as important; not only for the information that they contain about the company’s history in the 16th century, but also for the insight that they provide into the practices and rituals of corporate life in early modern London.
Utopia by Sir Thomas More (London, 1551) Image: This item is reproduced by permission of The Huntingdon Library, San Marino, California.
Entry from the Court Minutes of 22 March 1573/4 with Ralph Robynson’s signature. Image: Richard Valencia
Fluid Vitality: the silver
of Ndidi Ekubia
byPhilippaGlanville
Generous-spirited, personable and deeply committed to her craft, Ndidi is imbued with the spiritual values of her Nigerian upbringing and was fortunate in her early exposure to art at her secondary school and on visits to the Manchester Museum. Her formal training began at the University of Wolverhampton (1992-1995) where she undertook a 3D design course involving wood, plastics and metal. Particularly intrigued by the possibilities of metalwork, she spent the next year at the Bishopsland Educational Trust, the independent postgraduate training programme for silversmiths and jewellers, where she raised work in silver for the first time. This experience led to her successful application to the MA course in silversmithing and jewellery at the Royal College of Art, which was completed in 1998.
Her work has attracted buyers from the start. In 1998, after the Royal College of Art (RCA), she set up a modest shared workshop in central London whilst working full-time to cover her costs. She offered a newly made silver peanut kernel for an exhibition at the London Arts Café which sold at once. The first of a series of small domestic pieces, this initial success gave her confidence that she was on the right path. Her early beakers, curving and lobed to give an almost intuitive grip to thumb and fingers, handle agreeably, especially in her preferred Britannia standard silver. She has sold her work at Goldsmiths’ Fair over the years. As a Senior Fellow she has featured on successive Bishopsland stands at Collect. In 2010 Adrian Sassoon presented her work there as well as at the Pavilion of Art and Design in Berkeley Square. Pieces are now in public collections in London, Cardiff and Oxford.
Even from her early days in Wolverhampton, long before she handled silver, she had an amazing ability to move metal, an instinctive understanding of how her material would behave. She spoke of this, in her own words: “The process of creating these rich sensual forms is a rhythmical, mesmerising scene of tools pushing the metal to its limit, emphasising the fluid vitality of each form”. A compelling short film was commissioned in 2011 for a touring exhibition TheTool atHand,curated by Ethan Lasser, which started out at Milwaukee Art Museum. Available on her website, it captures this self-awareness of her essential drive as an artist. It gives vivid insights into the making process, alternating between her concentrated focus on the hammer as it manipulates the metal, headphones clamped on, and her thoughtful brooding on the next stage in the process.
However Ndidi is in no sense a self-publicist. Her sincerity and commitment to her craft shine through, as does her deep-rooted belief in drawing as the essential route for an artist to develop ideas. As a child, she drew anything and everything that caught her eye. And Ndidi has always been drawn to form, pattern and texture, colour, asymmetry and geometry. When considering her childhood environment in Manchester, she recalls appreciating carved utensils, motifs on a wooden stool from Nigeria, and a painted chest for storing printed cottons – its stencilled diamond shapes in smudgy red and black and strong aroma of indigo retaining its hold on her memory.
Reaching for a pencil is still instinctive. As a schoolgirl one of her early drawings was of a stuffed penguin, and she has a vivid memory of a gun chased by the then youthful Malcolm Appleby, whose passion for working silver she shares. On a recent visit to her workshop, sheets of drawings of leaves led to a discussion of her thinking about a new commission for a centrepiece. Those leaves, gathered from the patron’s garden, would eventually feed into the design, not literally reproduced but subtly rendered into a flowing stylised composition. She credits certain people as being important in her education and career as an artist. At her comprehensive school, Mr Kay taught her an appreciation of drawing, sharing his interest in Brancusi and other 20th century masters of line. At her college, an arts and crafts tradition of handwork skills was nurtured by teachers who were also makers themselves. Rod Kelly was, and remains, a key influence, helping her with an early commission for Winchester Cathedral, which was awarded whilst she was at Bishopsland. At the RCA she was guided and encouraged by David Watkins and Michael Rowe.
The late Andrew Dalton, Master of the Grocers’ Company, was a significant patron of contemporary silver, both for his private collection and for encouraging his Company to commission silver to mark the Millennium. He orchestrated a memorable evening at Grocers’ Hall. It began with talks about the Company’s historic silver during dinner, and then, over coffee, the new commissions, large display pieces by Ndidi and William Lee, made their theatrical entry by candlelight to join one of Hiroshi Suzuki’s extraordinary vases in the Company’s collection.
Ndidi’s strong and agreeable personality, noble profile and height make encounters with this artist-maker memorable, even without the pleasure of handling her bold, fluid pieces. Watching her engaging with an audience of Art Fund members at the Wallace Collection, or recalling a crowded session of spoon-making as part of a V&A summer activities programme, it is clear that she is a natural communicator, with the power to enthuse participants of all ages. At the Art Fund event, the Milwaukee film about her way of working led neatly into her talk about the tools and objects which she had brought across London from her Deptford studio/workshop.
This gift of communicating both her enthusiasm and her techniques is brought into play in the master classes in raising which she offers for the young graduates at Bishopsland, the ‘Sandhurst for silversmiths’ run by Pope and Oliver Makower in Berkshire, a programme of which she is a Senior Fellow. She now serves as a trustee of the Bishopsland Educational Trust, passing on not only her hand skills but also her insights into the commercial realities of setting up and surviving as an artist-maker in silver, based on her experience of the past 20 years.
Ndidi’s personality, coupled with her bold and photogenic work, such as her flamingo vases, centrepieces and candlesticks, make her a good media subject. Apart from the occasional television interview, for example on the BBC series InsideOut(London),her work has been illustrated regularly in the British press since Corinne Julius’ early article of 2003 in the EveningStandard.Between 1999 and 2009 her work was shown in the Goldsmiths’ Hall’s touring exhibition Treasuresofthe21stCentury.
So far her pieces have been featured in three exhibitions in the USA; a vase, requested by the prestigious Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Museum of Design in New York, was selected as an exemplar of the continuity of rococo motifs and forms in decorative art. Ethan Lasser’s Milwaukee exhibition, which includes Ndidi’s work, has been touring museums of decorative art and design in the USA for five years, triggering both lectures and demonstrations by Ndidi across the Atlantic and also a recent visit by museum trustees to her workshop. This recurrent exposure to the American art world has revealed to her the distinctive American curatorial emphasis on the aesthetics of the handmade, rather than the British concern with manufacture and techniques. Another significant difference is the role of museums in the USA as taste makers and official patrons, with much less activity among private patrons. This is unlike the British situation; here artist-makers benefit from the longstanding awareness of and enthusiasm for commissioning and buying for personal pleasure, whether from Goldsmiths’ Fair, Collect, British Silver Week, other fairs, commercial galleries or directly from the makers. Adrian Sassoon and Clare Beck have helped put high-end contemporary applied arts at the forefront through their presence at shows in the US and Europe. Once artists set up websites, it becomes far easier for potential purchasers to investigate online before contacting their preferred maker; and Ndidi is no exception.
The third American initiative was TheGlobalAfricaProject, an exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York in 2010. This brought Ndidi into contact with black American artist-makers. Although these contacts were naturally stimulating, she was struck that their standing in the wider art world of the USA seemed less central and valued than has been her experience in Britain, both at the Royal College of Art and since.
Ndidi has quickly made her mark as a formidable silversmith, forging a unique pathway in contemporary metalwork by harnessing her essential qualities – natural talent, enthusiasm and commitment.
Ndidi at the bench. Image: Tomàs Valenzuela Blejer
New Wave wine cooler, 2012, Britannia silver. Image: Jeremy Johns Photography
Detail of Sparkle vase, 2013, Britannia silver. Image: Jeremy Johns Photography
Recent Exhibitions
byTimothySchroder
Visitors to the Ultra Vanities exhibition last summer may not have realised that this was to be the last show of its kind for the foreseeable future at Goldsmiths’ Hall. With this spectacular display of over 300 Art Deco vanity cases from the 1920s and 1930s the curtain fell on a long and virtually uninterrupted programme of loan exhibitions stretching back over many years. It seems appropriate, therefore, at this stage to look back on this series of sumptuous displays and to consider what they have achieved.
Loan exhibitions have been a regular feature of life at Goldsmiths’ Hall since World War II, and during the last 25 years the Hall has hosted well over 40 such exhibitions. One of these, ContemporarySilverTableware (1996), brought together the work of 30 British silversmiths, and the report
in Goldsmiths’Reviewstated that it ‘sought to illustrate the excitement, desirability and practicality of modern silver’. Further, it noted that the show had benefited ‘from the display expertise of Paul Dyson’, who had been hired to design the exhibition. This was not the first time by any means that the Company had used outside designers, but it was evidently a great success and the Review commented that ‘we were proud to present [the artists’] skills in what was a refreshing and exciting departure from our normal setting’. No one guessed then that the next time that Paul was hired by the Company would be as the Director of the newly formed Promotion Department in 2001.
Once appointed, Paul did not let the grass grow under his feet, and he commented, in his first annual report, that ‘as the new Director I started
the job running – my desk full of Celebrationpaperwork and my head full of ideas’. CelebrationinGoldand Silver(2002), Paul’s first exhibition as Director, marked the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and heralded a new approach. It ran for a longer period than usual (seven weeks) and, with 12,000 visitors, achieved an unusually high level of attendance.
Paul’s flair for innovative display… gave these shows an original and engaging edge
But, in many ways, the well-oiled exhibition machine carried on as it always had done. The annual rhythm of exhibitions, interspersed with selling events, continued, reflecting a balance between promoting the trade and educating the public. One-man retrospectives, a long-established feature of the programme, continued on Paul’s watch. Successful ventures of this kind included shows on H. G. Murphy (2005) and Gerald Benney (2006), as well as artists at the peak of their careers, such as Malcolm Appleby (2006), Hiroshi Suzuki (2010) and Jacqueline Mina (2011). There were imaginatively themed exhibitions too, like OntheCuff(2006) – a delightful display of cufflinks across the centuries, SilverwithaPinchofSalt(2009) and SecretsoftheGoldsmiths’Company (2007), which fascinated the public and attracted 6,000 visitors.
More overtly promotional shows continued to figure as well. These included Creation-AnInsightinto theMindoftheModernSilversmith (2005), and RisingStars(2007). Paul’s flair for innovative display, however, gave these shows an original and engaging edge. Creationmade novel use of videos that provided a unique insight into the whole creative process, and many visitors commented that they had watched every minute of every video. RisingStars,curated by Janice Blackburn, transformed the Drawing Room of Goldsmiths’ Hall into an extraordinary black void, shining out with dazzling individual stars.
It was, however, his ‘blockbuster’ shows, TreasuresoftheEnglish Church(2008) and Gold:Powerand Allure (2012), which will be longest remembered. Church,which I curated, brought together over 300 works in gold and silver from the Middle Ages to the present day, from parish churches, cathedrals and college chapels all over the country. Not since Henry VIII swept up the treasures of the medieval church and sent them off to the Mint had such a body of material been brought together in one place, and it presented an extraordinary picture of enduring faith and creativity. The logistical issues alone were huge, and the exhibition was a great triumph, attracting record numbers of visitors to the Hall.
To set the bar yet higher was arguably a high-risk strategy, but that is exactly what Paul did with Gold,which was brilliantly curated by Helen Clifford. Some 500 objects from 170 lenders filled almost every inch of public space within the Hall and traced the history of gold in these islands over 4,500 years. It was a huge success, trumping Church with no less than 25,000 visitors. Had it been possible for the show to stay open for three months rather than two, the gate would have been yet higher.
After such a long history the decision to step back from loan exhibitions at the Hall was not taken lightly. They did much to promote the trade and educate the public, and they contributed significantly to the cultural life of the capital, complementing rather than duplicating the shows put on by museums. With their frequency, they kept silver and jewellery in the public eye and, because of their special focus, they filled a gap. The smaller shows,
often worthy rather than popular, were a ‘still small voice’ for themes that might otherwise have been easily forgotten. The major exhibitions, such as Churchand Gold,were of national importance but would have had little prospect of being staged elsewhere because of their exclusive concentration on precious metal. Whilst this is undoubtedly a change of direction for the Company, this is not the end of the road for its involvement with exhibitions. Far from it. It may well be that from time to time a theme will present itself which is ideally suited to presentation at the Hall. The emergence of the Goldsmiths’ Centre with its purpose-built exhibition facility has already been used for a variety of contemporary installations. Finally, it is anticipated that the company will develop partnerships with museums and other organisations to enable exhibitions close to the Company’s heart to continue to be staged, quite possibly with longer runs and accessible to a wider public. The first major event of this kind will be the display of the Company’s contemporary collection at The National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh in the autumn of 2015.
The Exhibition Room transformed for TreasuresoftheEnglishChurch in the summer of 2008. Image: Jonathan Tickner
Hiroshi Suzuki: Silver Waves 2010. Image: Martin Stewart
Gold: Power and Allure, 2012. Image: Imagewise
Goldsmiths’ Centre Foundation Programme
byPeterTaylor
In 2005, when the Goldsmiths’ Company first considered the idea of a project to support skills-based training, graduate creativity and entrepreneurship, it could not have imagined that the outcome would be the Goldsmiths’ Centre. The challenges of a construction project that has from the outset been problematic have been well-documented. However, it is only now that the other important aspect of the Centre is coming to life – the support for youngsters entering the craft and industry through the new Foundation Programme.
Historically, education providers such as the Central School of Art (Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts) and the Sir John Cass (London Metropolitan University) offered a range of technical courses on both a full-time and part-time basis. The impact of the shift to Higher Education by such institutions is well-known, and the consequent loss of the majority of vocational training is the clear result in all but a few places around the country. The Foundation Programme, and indeed other vocational programmes offered by the Goldsmiths’ Centre, seeks to address this.
This Programme is unique; nowhere else can someone study with the intensity that is offered at the Centre. The individuals who secure a place on the course, which is currently offered free of charge, do so after facing a rigorous interview process. Over two days they undertake a diverse range of tasks ranging from sculpting and bench work to the assembly of an Airfix model kit! The latter may seem like a strange test for an aspiring jeweller or silversmith but it provides a good indication of their attention to detail, approach to construction and hand-eye coordination. This process is capped off with an interview by a panel of teaching staff who examine closely the motivation of those applying for the course. The 10 places on the Programme are eagerly sought after and consequently hard won, but once candidates have succeeded in securing places they can expect an unforgettable educational experience.
The Goldsmiths’ Centre is fortunate to have access to an amazing and committed group of trainers. Its sessional tutors read like a ‘who’s who’ of the craft and industry, and the Trustees are immensely grateful to all of the experts who are willing to share their knowledge and experience. They teach a series of individual units to the trainees which, over the course of their time at the Centre, builds into a diverse and impressive portfolio of work. Equal emphasis is placed upon all of the trade skills with trainees experiencing diamond mounting, silversmithing, engraving, enamelling, chasing, gem setting as well as design, drawing and theory. The quality of tuition, the intensity of the programme and the small numbers of trainees are key factors which enable the Centre to deliver the quality of outcomes that are being achieved. The other key element is the Centre itself and the unique opportunities and facilities which it offers to those trainees.
When considering the development of the building it was quickly decided that workshops and studios should be offered as an integral part of the charity’s portfolio. The rationale for this was twofold. Firstly the Goldsmiths’ Company was acutely aware of the pressure on workshop space in Central London; the scattering to the four winds of the craft and industry as rental values escalated had, and is having, a massive impact on these businesses, which rely on a specialist supply chain. Secondly, by offering workshops on a charitable basis, for example at lower than market rents for craftsmen starting out on their careers, the Centre could both support the craft and create new opportunities for education and training to take place in a unique way – this is the Centre’s Unique Selling Point.
(Left to right): Abigail Buckingham, Ben Kerridge, Hugo Johnson, Barney Bowes, Cameron Chandler, Sharon Alvarez, Harry Seeger.
Image: Julia Skupny
The leases that the workshop tenants sign include a clause that relates to how they support the work of the Centre. This can take many forms but the most innovative and exciting way is through direct participation in the training of the trainees on the Foundation Programme. Consequently: tenants can be found teaching in the Professional Training Workshops; trainees are placed in workshops where they have the opportunity for work experience with some of the top craftsmen and women in the country; individuals offer mentoring; and the list goes on.
I wrote in the Reviewlast year about the trainees watching one of the Goldsmiths’ Company’s Training DVDs on polishing and finishing and then experiencing one-to-one tuition with Reg and Alan from Elliott & Fitzpatrick. This type of training really does count. As a result there have been some amazing outcomes from the Foundation Programme. All of the trainees were entered for, and passed, their City & Guilds examinations, four with Distinction. One of the trainees was nominated for a City & Guilds Medal of Excellence in 2012-2013 and was awarded a medal – one of only 72 given nationally for the highest levels of vocational achievement.
A new patron, Adam Munthe, a philanthropist, businessman and explorer, came forward and sponsored an award for the trainees. The Cellini Prize, named after the great Italian Renaissance sculptor and goldsmith, was judged by a panel including the patron, Theo Fennell, Stephen Webster, Grant Macdonald and Joanna Hardy in July 2013. The judges were so amazed by the quality of the work on show that they doubled the prize of £2,500 offered by Adam so that a joint first prize could be awarded. Whilst the generosity of the donors of the prizes was exceptional, it was the overall reaction of the judges to the work which was the highlight for the Centre team. There was a general feeling amongst the panel that something special and unique is happening at the Centre and that this was reflected in the work on show.
The success of last year’s cohort was celebrated with an awards ceremony that coincided with the Shineexhibition at the Centre; this showcased the work of both the Foundation Trainees and the Postgraduates and also others that benefit from the Goldsmiths’ Company’s charitable support. In the packed Goldsmiths’ Centre exhibition space, Adam Munthe extolled the virtues of the training provided by the Centre and also the importance of providing real opportunities for youngsters to pursue creative and vocational careers – something that is at the heart of the Centre’s charitable purpose.
Whilst prizes, awards and other plaudits are welcomed, ultimately the goal is to invest in the young men and women who are the trainees: four of the seven trainees have secured Goldsmiths’ Company Apprenticeships; one has been taken on as our first Silversmithing Traineeship recipient, funded through the Members’ Fund of the Goldsmiths’ Company; and two others are still searching for the right opportunity for them. The Centre team is confident that they will be successful. They have been helped massively in this by the tireless work of the Centre’s Vocational Skills Director, Robin Kyte. Having retired once, after 36 years at Sir John Cass, many were pleasantly surprised that he chose to come out of retirement to work at the Goldsmiths’ Centre. His passion for supporting young people remains as strong as ever and, he can take immense pride, and much of the credit, in the development of the Foundation Programme over the past two years. However this full-time role could not last forever and Robin has, with some sadness, relinquished his post. He will continue to be involved in the delivery of the Professional Training courses here at the Centre as part of a new consultancy role, which will also see him resume his oversight of the Goldsmiths’ Company Apprenticeship Programme as this enters a new and important phase of its development.
Many in the trade will recognise that the Goldsmiths’ Centre is a game-changing initiative for the Company, its Apprenticeship Programme and its other work in support of the trade. The Company’s Craft & Industry Committee has made a decision that, wherever possible and appropriate, the Company’s work and that of the Centre should be strategically and operationally aligned. The impact of this will be subtle in most cases but some major changes are planned for the Apprenticeship Programme from April 2014. From this date the preferred entry route onto this will be through the Foundation Programme. The total number of apprenticeships will be capped at 10 a year, with five of these being eligible for bursary support. The automatic right to a bursary will be removed and masters of apprentices will have to apply for these in the future. All apprentices will be required to undertake their City & Guilds Qualifications as well as producing a masterpiece when they complete their time. These are a few of the changes that have been agreed in the largest shake-up of the Programme since 20022005 which saw the introduction of bursaries and also the Licentiateship Qualification.
Whilst few welcome change, the arrival of the Centre (and the resultant output of the Foundation Programme) requires the Company to think in new ways about how to deliver apprenticeships in the future. The apprentices must have the best possible training and provide the best possible service to their future Masters’ and their businesses. To secure an apprenticeship for a young person is a huge opportunity and not one to be taken on lightly by the recipient. Likewise few Masters would disagree that apprentices in their care should receive the best possible training and have the potential to become the Masters of the future.
Excellence is and always will be at the heart of what is done here at the Centre; and the Goldsmiths’ Company and its membership can be rightly proud of what is being achieved here in a few short months by the youngsters who have received its support.
Pen Portraits
Abigail Buckingham comes from a craft background – her father is a working silversmith based in Lincolnshire. She first visited the Company at the tender age of 13 after deciding that she wished to pursue a career in the craft. Four years later she joined the first cohort of Foundation trainees, and her talent and creativity have shone through. She achieved the highest marks for her City & Guilds qualification and as a result was nominated for a medal of excellence, which she won. She shared the Cellini Award with her colleague, Hugo Johnson, for work which was described as “remarkable” by Theo Fennell. She then entered and won an international design competition for professional designers, and she is only 18 years old!
With no background in the craft Cameron Chandler joined the Foundation Programme at 16 and was one of the youngest trainees. Whilst he had originally thought that a career in jewellery was for him, his time on the Foundation Programme and, particularly, with Clive Burr at the Centre changed his mind and he set his sights on becoming a silversmith. Aware of the challenges of securing an apprenticeship through this route, the team at the Centre petitioned the Membership Committee of the Goldsmiths’ Company which made a bursary available to enable him to become the first recipient of our silversmithing traineeship. This new scheme has allowed him to undertake a series of intensive work placements over three months, with the ultimate aim of securing an indentured apprenticeship for him. It is heartening to note that in the view of Richard Fox (Fox Silver), Cameron’s time on the Foundation Programme has put him two to three years ahead of where an apprentice would expect to be in his first year of formal training. The Centre staff feel very confident that ultimately Cameron will secure his dream role.
Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council College Award trophy.
Image: Richard Valencia
Images: Julia Skupny
In January 2013 the House Committee approved a proposal to replace the Drawing Room carpet. This recognised that the existing carpet was threadbare in places, stained and damaged by cutting and piecing in around the edges. Furthermore, holes had even been cut in the carpet so that the legs of the pier tables around the perimeter of the room could rest on the floor beneath. The carpet had, however, lasted an extraordinary length of time: exactly 100 years, apart from the 10 years when it had been removed during World War II and the immediate post-war period. It had been laid in 1902, replacing the original carpet of 1835 designed by the architect of the Hall, Philip Hardwick.
The two previous carpets had been all wool and handknotted and it was quickly decided to follow this precedent with the new carpet, the advantage being that it allowed the carpet to be packed with more wool to improve its wearing characteristics, and it permitted more freedom in executing the design.
The manufacturer selected for the task was David Bamford, a leading specialist in hand-made carpets, based in Presteigne, Powys. He had already produced a hand-made carpet for Chequers when I was the agent there, and I had first-hand experience of his painstaking approach to that project.
David’s wife, Sara, had started a carpet restoration business in the 1970s. The restoration clients included the National Trust, and the idea of making reproductions to replace badlyworn but valuable carpets first emerged at this time. David exhaustively researched the re-making of such carpets; he went to Turkey and began to weave the first examples. In the mid-1980s, he approached the National Trust with his scheme of total replacement rather than ‘patch and repair’.
Weaving History
byRodneyMelville
The first re-weaving began in Turkey but, in 1995, David visited Bulgaria to research its weaving facilities. There he found the traditional carpet weaving industry in a vulnerable state after the collapse of communism and was inspired to salvage and revive at least part of the ailing industry.
The result is that he now employs over 30 weavers fulltime in a modern, congenial and environmentally-friendly workshop in Bulgaria. Hand-weaving on this scale is no longer available in the UK, nor in the rest of Europe.
In re-creating the carpet, the Goldsmiths’ Company had one enormous advantage. Its library retained Philip Hardwick’s original coloured drawing of the carpet. This design was photographed together with the existing carpet, and from these photographs emerged the point paper design for the new carpet. Digital photography, transferred to a computer based plan of the carpet, enabled the fine detail of the design for the border and central coat of arms to be developed. By incorporating 27 different colours, it was possible to introduce shading to the foliage and floral elements in the border and so create a three-dimensional appearance, whilst remaining faithful to Hardwick’s original design.
Once the details of the design and the choice of colours had settled to the point where David and I were happy to present the result to the House Committee, a small area of carpet was woven for approval. It was laid over the old carpet in the Drawing Room, minutely inspected, walked on – and approved.
There was one important change in the design of the carpet compared with the original. The border was reduced very slightly in scale in order to create a wider plain ground around the perimeter of the carpet. One of the unsatisfactory elements of the original arrangement was the way in which the furniture placed around the walls of the Drawing Room sat on and partially obscured the border. The slightly wider plain outer edge of the new carpet avoids this problem.
The Drawing Room is nowadays used much more intensively than in the past, and the ability to resist wear and tear is an important issue. The new carpet contains 67,600 knots per square metre, twice as dense as the previous carpet, using a semi-worsted wool with the pile cut to 10-12mm. This adds up to no less than 7,800,300 individual knots, each tied by hand.
At the same time that the new carpet was being woven, new silk and cotton fabric was being woven by the Humphries Weaving Company Ltd of Sudbury, Suffolk, to replace the stained silk upholstery on the sofas, chairs and window seats. Initially, one of the large sofas was stripped and the fabric sent to Humphries so that the pattern could be copied and a dye produced to match the curtains, which were not being replaced. Thread was then dyed in shades of crimson, and the one closest to the shade of the curtains was selected. The fabric was then woven and the furniture was re-covered by the A.T. Cronin Workshop in Acton. At the same time, the worst areas of damage to the woodwork of the furniture were made good.
The actual installation of the new carpet was not without its challenges. Both the old and new carpets, measuring 12m by 8m, were incredibly heavy, weighing about 15 cwt and requiring eight men to move them up and down the staircase. The next challenge was that the sliding doors to the North Ante Room would not close over the new and thicker carpet. This necessitated lowering the floor very slightly below the doors in order to create the necessary clearance. This work was expertly achieved by the Hall’s in-house team.
Maintaining a balance between preservation and practicality in a working historic building is a continual challenge. The Hall is now graced with a new carpet which is both faithful to Hardwick’s original design and constructed with a robustness rarely found in modern textiles. This should ensure that, with the increased footfall now experienced in the Hall, it will remain a pleasure to walk on for many decades.
A detail of the new carpet. Image: Julia Skupny
The hand-weavers at work.
jewels Harmony & rhythm: of the Jane Sarginson
byBeatrizChadour-Sampson
Jane Sarginson’s path to making jewellery began with a visit to Goldsmiths’ Hall in the early 1970s. She had just finished school and, on the recommendation of the silversmith, Leslie Durbin, she was introduced to Susan Hare, the Librarian. The experience was inspirational and gave her great encouragement to fulfil her wish to become a jeweller. Her thank you letter following the visit, kept in the archives of the Goldsmiths’ Company, documents the beginning of a long and successful career which has lasted over 30 years. Her association with the Company continues to this day. She has enjoyed being part of Goldsmiths’ Fair since it was launched in 1982, and she feels indebted to this important platform for promoting her work.
Her training as a silversmith and jeweller began at Loughborough College of Art & Design. An early example of her work from this period is a double-skin, hand raised silver beaker made in 1973, which was exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in the same year as part of the launch of the Crafts Council. For her beaker to be shown was a great accolade for an emerging craftsman and jeweller, especially at such an early phase of her training. Jane did not pursue silversmithing, but turned to finer and more precious materials, making small objects. Yet the beaker has the quintessential elements found in her jewellery today. Her fascination with precious metals and with the creation of diverse surface textures is evident. Further characteristics are the use of organic forms in metal and the exploration of patterns and shapes. However, the most prominent feature of the beaker is the random use of silver globules of different sizes. They not only have the practical function of improving the grip of the hand, but the light falling on the shiny round forms produces a playful visual effect which complements the moonstone cabochons. Rays of light transform the luminosity and colour of the gemstones. These ornamental features are fundamental to the work which was to follow. In the StarCollection, which was begun in 2000 and continued over a number of years, the yellow gold starbursts are textured inside. This contrasts with the heavy interior where exploding rays with globular ends are brightly polished, and diamonds appear to burst out of the composition. The ‘starburst’ design, which is upbeat and uplifting for the wearer, is a frequently found element in her work.
Whilst studying for her MA at the Royal College of Art from 1976-1979 under Professor Gerald Benney, and a short intermediate session in the design department of Cartier London, Jane developed her new found love for pearls. She was attracted by their individuality and the irregularity of their shapes. In her early phase, baroque-shaped pearls were surrounded by molten, textured surfaces in yellow gold. Ever since, “the oyster has been my world” as she stated in her 2013 lecture at the Pearlsexhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Her name has become synonymous with jewellery with pearls. Their natural origin and affinity to water has a special meaning for her. Pearls are worn as they were born – from the mollusc without further enhancement. Their huge variety of types and shapes and their versatility sent her on a journey of re-interpreting pearl jewellery.
As a jeweller, it is the depth of colour and the lustre of a pearl which catches her imagination. The artistry of her designs lies in capturing these subtleties of hue and combining them with different shades of gold and gemstone to enhance the pearl. Her designs are led directly by the pearls or gemstones she has sourced. These release the inspiration for material combinations and colour schemes. In a white gold brooch, a bufftop blue beryl (facets on the underside) forms the centre, which is framed by eight drop-shaped black Tahitian pearls interspersed with diamonds. The whiteness of the diamonds brightens the dark pearls and highlights the cooler tone of the blue beryl. To emphasise the symmetry, which is essential to the design, the pearls at the cardinal points are accentuated by an additional rounded white gold ring with globules.
Over the years the pearl market has changed considerably. Pearls have become more accessible and affordable, and the variety is amazing. Jane uses a wide array of both cultured and freshwater pearls in a palette of natural colours ranging from the white Akoya, and grey to black Tahitian, to cultured South Sea pearls in silvery and golden tones, and freshwater pearls in pink, lavender, green, brown or apricot. In her view, pearls do not have to be perfectly round, rather their irregularity can add to the artistic concept. Freshwater pearls in a natural apricot colour were a favourite for several years, their tone proving to be versatile and suited to most skin tones. As a jeweller she is conscious of advising her clients which type of pearl or colour of gemstone suits their skin tone and hair colour, and even what goes with their style of dress and the textiles which they wear. Each piece is individually designed for the wearer and made to match their lifestyle.
Beryl brooch, 2005
Detail of silver beaker, 1973
One necklace, from a group of them composed of natural apricot-coloured freshwater pearls, illustrates some characteristic and recurring themes within her designs. The oval-shaped clasp is made of rose gold, a warm tone to complement the overall colour scheme. Set in the centre is a large topaz of rich orangey tones with slight brown hues framed by white diamonds within a border of larger diamonds, alternating brown and white. The symmetrically arranged wing ornaments framing the brown diamonds are textured gold, a frequent effect in her repertoire of jewellery designs. Two of the wing motifs elegantly connect the clasp to the pearl strands. The technique of stringing pearls is a skill which over centuries has remained unchanged. Jane adds a new component by hiding the knots under gold roundels which consist of finely wrapped gold wires. The technique of casting wire (not by wax) and constructing the form is unique to her.
Symmetry and simplicity are key elements in her jewellery. Like an artist painting a picture, she composes her pieces with great attention to colour nuances, seen here in a pendant with honey and chocolate-coloured pearls complemented by the warm tone of rose gold and the juxtaposition of cognac diamonds. A single white diamond accentuates the pendant loop and contrasts with the chocolate brown twisted silk cord worn around the neck.
After sourcing high quality stones, the design process begins in her mind, choosing which materials match or contrast. Then preliminary sketches in pencil are made, exploring slight variations. When I was in her studio recently, she had acquired some magnificent tourmalines and was positioning them on her drawings for proportions and size. Having decided on the scale of the jewel, she refines the details and then applies colour with crayon. Ultimately the final design is painted in watercolour with front and side views, annotated with measurements and weights.
Her jewellery using gems other than pearls has the same painterly approach. Fascinated by the intensity of colour and luminosity of a gemstone, she plays both with subtle nuances of colour and with stark contrasts. A recent pair of earrings, set with green tourmalines, tsavorite garnets and peridots, are a characteristic exploration of the interplay between shades of colour.
instructions. She continues to source materials worldwide and to design, and has more time to spend with her clients.
Jane Sarginson is best known for moving pearls away from the stereotypical image of ‘girls in pearls’, the twin-set enhancing strands which were once a universal feature of the frontispiece of CountryLife.She has developed novel designs and created innovative ways of wearing pearl necklaces by combining different coloured strands, twisting them, and interspersing jewelled clips. The visual permutations are inventive and innumerable. Furthermore, in keeping with the demands of society today and the fast changing pace of fashion, her versatile jewels may be adapted to move easily from daytime to evening wear. Her jewels have the balance, harmony and rhythm of a symphonic composition.
Hector Miller and Rodney Melville viewing the new carpet in the Drawing Room.
Image: Julia Skupny
Clerk’s Report
This past year there have been a number of significant developments in the Company’s affairs. The changes in Court governance reported last year have now been implemented which means that those Assistants over the age of 80 are no longer actively involved as trustees in the Company’s affairs. Since last year, four new Assistants have been elected to join the Court: Judy Lowe, Michael Prideaux, Neil Carson and Geoffrey Munn. Due to extenuating circumstances, it has been decided that the succession to the chair as Prime Warden will be amended so that Judy Lowe will become Fourth Warden in May 2014, to be followed by Michael Prideaux in 2015 and Neil Carson in 2016 (subject of course to election). The Assistants below the Chair will be re-ordered to ensure that the progression takes appropriate cognisance of the occasionally conflicting demands of careers and the Company.
Elsewhere, other matters have also been moving apace. The Hall administration has endured considerable upheaval, with extensive changes in the Accounts Department and the former Promotion Department. This has been an unsettling period for the staff involved, but there is confidence that the necessary skill sets are now in place to take the Company forward. The Accounts Department has been reorganised and has expanded, reflecting the addition of the Goldsmiths’ Centre to its area of responsibilities and the increasing complexity of accounting legislation. The new Communications & Marketing Department will have an increased focus, promoting the wider Company and its activities on social media and on the various websites, and staging Goldsmiths’ Fair.
London has reinforced its position as the premier assay office – and in some months has
been the largest office
Meanwhile, the Assay Office has had an encouraging year. Amidst clear indications that the overall hallmarking market is showing signs of improvement, London has reinforced its position as the premier assay office – and in some months has been the largest office. Noteworthy achievements have included the refurbishment of the Laboratory, the agreement to purchase four new hallmarking lasers in the first part of 2014, and the establishment of the first genuine sub-office at the premises of Allied Gold in Dalston.
Another area of significant effort has been with regard to the Goldsmiths’ Centre. Under Peter Taylor’s inspired direction and the watchful eye of Dame Lynne Brindley, Chairman of the Trustees, the Centre has continued to develop. The recruitment of two new key members of the Centre’s staff has been a significant development: Karine Lepeuple, Deputy Centre Director, will enable the Director to concentrate on the educational and training provision; and Christopher Oliver, in part, will succeed Robin Kyte as Curriculum Leader.
An increased engagement with the Company’s membership is the other main area of change. In a new departure, the recent round of elections to the Livery required individuals to apply to join this distinguished body. In particular, each candidate was asked to stipulate the positive benefits to the Company’s activities which might accrue from his or her elevation to the Livery. It was recognised, from the outset, that this change would have ramifications, but the response was most encouraging, and 20 new, enthusiastic and engaged liverymen have now joined the Livery. It is intended to continue with this new process for subsequent elections.
On a sadder note I have to report the death in March of Liveryman Alan Westmore, the Company Surveyor (19741993); Alan worked tirelessly on behalf of the Company and was well known for his determination to negotiate the best terms for its charitable and corporate estates.
The Deputy Clerk has also been busy engaging with the Company’s membership. A disappointing response to an exercise to comply with the Data Protection Act resulted in the removal of a significant number of members from the Company’s roll. However, on a more positive note, a series of members’ events has now been established which will offer all of the membership an increased opportunity to participate in the Company’s affairs and to act as better informed advocates of the Company’s activities.
As a military man myself, I am pleased to be able to report on the Company’s military affiliations. This year 30 Squadron Royal Air Force, flying Hercules C-130J C4/5 aircraft from RAF Brize Norton, has been welcomed to our ‘orbat’ (order of battle). Meanwhile, the close engagement with 7 Rifles, one of the two Army Reserve battalions of the Rifles Regiment, has been maintained. Additionally, the Company’s support of the Finchley Sea Cadets has continued, and cadets from this organisation enthusiastically lined the stairs at the November Livery Dinner. In the fullness of time, it is anticipated that an affiliation with the second of the Royal Navy’s new aircraft carriers, HMS PRINCE OF WALES, will come to fruition.
The Goldsmiths’ Company is a large organisation with a wide range of outputs and activities, as are encapsulated in the new strapline of Company-Craft-Charity.Much of what else has been achieved over the past year is reported in this Review
Finally, it remains for me, once again, to acknowledge the roles played by the Court, the Livery, the Freedom and the Company’s staff in the delivery of the wide range of activities which the Company both undertakes directly and supports.
DickMelly
Dick Melly in conversation with a guest and Angela Cork at the opening of StudioSilverToday at Belton House. Image: Richard Lea-Hair
Introducing the four new Assistants:
Miss Judy Lowe
On the back of 20 years as a business school academic in London, Manchester and Oxford Universities, Judy Lowe founded a successful corporate strategy practice which advises the Boards of major UK enterprises. In 1996 she became the first woman ever appointed a Non-Executive Director by the Institute of Directors Board Appointments Service and has since served on eight Boards as diverse as BBC Technology Ltd, HM Treasury and Bovis Lend Lease Europe.
Mr Geoffrey Munn
Geoffrey Munn joined Wartski, the West End jewellery firm, when he was 19 and is now the Managing Director.
He has written a number of books on the history of jewellery and is a familiar face on the BBC AntiquesRoadshow
Mr Michael Prideaux
Michael Prideaux read English at Trinity College, Cambridge, and spent most of his career at British American Tobacco as a member of the Management Board specialising in corporate communications. He is Chairman of the Old Etonian Association and a trustee of the Chelsea Physic Garden.
Mr Neil Carson
Neil Carson joined Johnson Matthey, a global chemical/precious metals company, as an engineering graduate in 1980. He was appointed Chief Executive of this FTSE 100 Company in 2004.
Membership Committee
The Membership Committee has continued to address a number of issues, particularly those aimed at promoting a greater engagement with members. This year, as something of an experiment, a range of visits and events, which proved popular, was introduced. They were aimed at both the Freedom and the Livery to enable them to understand more about the Company and its activities and also to allow some social cross-pollination.
Two evening briefings were held at the Hall in July and November, each with three talks, and members enjoyed the opportunity to socialise afterwards. The first event covered the history of the Company, the Assay Office and hallmarking, and the Collections. The second evening featured a talk on the Trial of the Pyx by Professor Robert Turner, Liveryman and former Queen’s Remembrancer, fascinating extracts from the archive and the latest happenings at the Goldsmiths’ Centre. It concluded with an opportunity to view ancient exhibits concerning the Trial and also items created by the students on the Foundation Programme. There were some of the students in attendance, one of whom was presented with an award.
There were three visits organised, each hosted by members, to the Bank of England Museum, to Treasuresofthe RoyalCourtsat the V & A, and to Hammersmith to experience the art of making Sipsmiths gin. An even more ambitious programme of events is underway in 2014.
Last year members contributed £36,248 towards the Members’ Charitable Fund appeal and the proceeds were split, based upon members’ votes, between the Prisoners’ Education Trust (PET) - £10,000; London Youth - £9,000; the Manna Society - £8,500; and DEMAND - £7,600.
The length of time required for apprentices to develop silversmithing skills is a barrier to training in the craft. Masters, and the Goldsmiths’ Company, cannot afford to subsidise the longer terms required. To encourage masters to take on silversmithing apprentices the Members’ Charitable Fund is supporting Cameron Chandler, a Foundation programme student. He is undertaking a oneyear Silversmithing Traineeship combining further training at the Centre with workshop experience. At the end of his year, with his additional skills, Cameron should have much better prospects for finding a master so members are really helping to set a young man on his way. Assuming this is successful, three further internships will be funded in the future.
The Prime Warden launched the current appeal at the end of 2013. The Company’s wealth is directly due to the largesse of earlier generations of goldsmiths and the purpose of the Members’ Charitable Fund is to enable the current membership to contribute to the overall giving and to have the opportunity to become involved. One half of the donations raised in 2013-2014 will go to support worthy causes in the trade and the other half will be split between support for Paralympic sailors (under the auspices of the Royal Yachting Association) and a charity nominated by Company members and decided by the Wardens.
Nick Harland
The Prime Warden at Woodrow High House. Image: Ciorsdan Brown
Assay Office Report
Activity
The number of articles sent for hallmarking to all UK assay offices was reduced from 9.4 million in 2012 to 9.2 million in 2013, a drop of 2.3%. The number of gold articles fell by 1.3%, silver by 3.4% and palladium by 10.8%; only platinum saw some growth at 6.8%. The picture is not, however, quite as gloomy as it seems. Most of the downturn took place in the first three quarters of the year, whilst each month in the last quarter showed sustained growth which has continued into the early part of 2014. Hopefully, this encouraging growth represents a turning point in the fortunes of hallmarking in the UK.
London did significantly better than the other offices as a whole, with the number of articles hallmarked rising from 2.4 million in 2012 to 2.8 million in 2013. This increase was driven largely by success in competing for work, aided by the rise in the general market which started a little earlier in London than the rest of the UK. As a consequence, London’s market share rose to 30.5%, its highest level for a generation, and for some months London became once again the largest office. The market share would have been greater if one of the Assay Office’s largest customers had not been lost to the Dutch Assay Office which installed a sub-office in the customer’s factory in Germany. Competition is now not just limited to the other four UK assay offices but is open to those from other countries as well.
The sub-offices at Heathrow and Greville Street remained buoyant during 2013. The Heathrow sub-office hallmarked 1.35 million articles and Greville Street 1.32 million articles. Heathrow has been the venue of choice for most of the competitive growth, and it is now the largest of the Assay Office’s manufacturing sites in terms of articles hallmarked. By the end of the year an exciting project – to create a sub-office in the premises of the UK manufacturer Allied Gold – was completed. This is the first time that London has opened a sub-office within a single customer’s production facility. This is a progressive move for all parties concerned and is a prime example of how the Assay Office is continually striving to provide the most convenient and best service to its customers.
The number of items sent for hallmarking remains highly dependent on the gold price. The reduction in the price of gold in 2013 has certainly been a factor in the recent growth in hallmarking numbers as customers replace, and buy, new stock. A downside of the lower gold price is that the valuable income provided from companies which buy scrap gold fell significantly.
It is now about 16 years since lasers were first introduced for hallmarking. Requests for laser hallmarks have grown steadily over the years, and now over 50% of all articles are hallmarked in this way. The first laser machines were extremely well made and continue to be used. However, they are not as efficient as the latest machines nor is the quality of the marks as good. As a consequence, the decision has been taken that four of the oldest machines are to be replaced in 2014 with the latest models. Investment in the future also continued with a complete refurbishment of the laboratories at Goldsmiths’ Hall. This coincided with the introduction of new testing services for lead and cadmium in jewellery. The Assay Office retained its accreditation to international standards ISO 17025:2005 and its certification to ISO 9001:2008.
Marketing efforts went from strength to strength, and a full programme of events was organised including Fakes and Forgeries seminars, Valuation Days, ‘Buying Precious Metal’ training courses and Hallmarking Information Days. The Assay Office took stands at New Designers, IJL, Chatsworth House, Goldsmiths’ Fair and Art in Action (in the grounds of Waterperry House, Oxfordshire). The weather was glorious this year at the latter event, prompting a rare appearance, on the stand, of the Deputy Warden’s dog. People were only allowed to pat her if they registered for hallmarking.
Antique Plate Committee
A total of 97 pieces were examined, of which 30 conformed to the Hallmarking Act. The remainder comprised 31 with alterations and additions, 16 with transposed marks, and 20 with counterfeit marks. None was outside the Committee’s jurisdiction.
Suspected Offences
Four suspected offences against the Hallmarking Act were reported to the Office by Local Authority Trading Standards Officers but there were no prosecutions.
Standards Committees
Progress remains slow on the revision to the many ISO standards relating to the testing of precious metal Jewellery. The proposal set out in ‘ISO/DIS standard 9202 - Jewellery - Fineness of precious metal alloys’ for the introduction of a 600 ppt platinum seemed to catch the trade in the UK unawares. The UK voted against its introduction until a full debate on its merits was undertaken.
International Convention on Hallmarks and International Association of Assay Offices
Italy’s attempts to accede to the Hallmarking Convention remain thwarted, as unanimity could not be found between member states to allow it to join. There are, furthermore, no mechanisms for appeal or arbitration within the Convention’s articles of association, thereby creating the current stalemate.
The 40th anniversary celebrations for the Hallmarking Convention will be held in Goldsmiths’ Hall and the Goldsmiths’ Centre in September 2015.
The International Association of Assay Offices (IAAO) continues to grow. Egypt and Spain (Andalucia) signed the Memorandum of Understanding in 2013.
Changes to the Hallmarking Act
There were no changes to the Hallmarking Act during the year, but the British Hallmarking Council issued guidance information on: Cancellation of Hallmarks; Sponsors’ Marks and Trademarks; and Nomenclature of Coatings (bonded gold).
Staff
Alison Byne received her Freedom by Special Grant. A new generation of hallmarkers was created when John Love became a grandfather after his daughter Sam (who also works for the Assay Office) gave birth to a son, James. They managed a ‘double whammy’ when Sam received her Freedom and John was clothed with the Livery on Wednesday 5 March 2014.
DrRobertOrgan
Michelle Miller at the Allied Gold sub-office Image: Julia Skupny
Goldsmiths’ Company apprentice Candice Devine with Barbara Spicer, Chief Executive of Skills (BIS) at Downing Street. Image: © National Apprenticeship Service
The Love family with the Wardens. Image: Sophia Tobin
Education Report
The annual budget, remaining at £300,000, was sufficient for the established programmes being run by the Company. Lord Sutherland took over from Mr Michael Galsworthy as Chairman at the end of 2013, and a strategic review is being undertaken to assess the Company’s future educational priorities.
The Company has been supporting seven primary schools in the boroughs of Camden, Tower Hamlets, Lambeth and Islington which have been working on a variety of numeracy and literacy projects for many years. The long term rapport established with the Head Teachers has allowed the Company to build an understanding of what is happening at ground level in education in inner London. A highlight this year, besides the school visits, was opening the Hall to children from all of the schools for an action-packed and fun-filled, if somewhat hectic, day. There was a competitive quiz around the Hall (with everyone a winner) which introduced them to the history of the Company and country, a variety of hallmarking activities and an opportunity to see items from the collections; the Royal Mint was also present, bringing a set of Olympic medals and a torch. A variation on the theme of a school lunch was offered which went down exceedingly well.
As an experiment, the Committee decided to support Lambeth Academy with funds to set up a Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. This financial support enabled the Academy to complete the expedition element of the scheme which is proving highly popular as an activity and as a real motivator to students.
This year the National Theatre put on RomeoandJuliet as the play for its primary classics programme of which the Company has been a stalwart supporter. Forty-two schools benefitted from this directly, with educational support for each being made available before and after the performances. The impact of this programme on the children’s literacy achievement cannot be underestimated.
The very popular Science for Society courses for secondary school science teachers continued at Bath, Southampton, Brunel, Queen Mary and Cambridge universities. This investment of £65,000 in their educational development is regarded by these teachers as a great fillip to both their motivation and morale. They really do appreciate the Company’s support for their practice as teachers. The challenge for the future is to draw in new applicants who have not attended any of the courses.
university students continue to receive support.
At the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, five bursaries of £3,000 each were given to students taking courses in composition, singing and a range of musical instruments.
In a field where this education is very expensive, such help is vital in ensuring that performers of the future can achieve their goals. Twelve students, studying medicine as a second degree, each receive an annual bursary of £3,000 for three years. At a time of rising student debt, these are awarded to those who are most in need. They are the most generous available and make all the difference to the success of individuals in completing their education and joining the medical profession.
It is reassuring to note, during visits and at events such as the annual Exhibitioners’ Reception at the Hall, the extent to which the Company’s largesse in the educational field makes a difference – and is appreciated.
Charity Report
Last year’s Charity budget remained at £700,000. In order to continue supporting a similar number of charities annually, the Charity Committee has reduced the size of grants. Most annual grants are now £3,000, and multiple year grants are now infrequently awarded. As a result of this, and in part due to a decrease in the number of applications received, the current success rate for appeals is 65% (60% in 2012/2013).
Cheshire Community Foundation (CCF) was awarded £50,000 as the second and final instalment of its two-year grant. The bulk of the funding continued to be used in the employment of a Grants Officer in order to enhance the foundation’s grant-making capabilities. The search for a new Community Foundation to support in 2014 has begun.
Together for Short Lives (formerly Children’s Hospices UK), the umbrella body that supports all children’s hospices, put forward a new proposal requesting help towards specialist training for hospice care staff. A grant of £10,000 a year for three years was approved.
The Committee once again awarded £25,000 to both R L Glasspool Charity and School-Home Support under the ‘Poor Londoners’ programme. These grants enable the Company’s funds to reach those individuals most in need throughout London. The charities dispense modest sums, averaging £250, which assist in the purchase of everyday essentials such as beds, school uniforms and washing machines. They make an enormous difference to the quality of life for the recipient families. The Company’s Grants Officer visited School-Home Support, accompanied by Dick Ford, a member of the Charity Committee, to meet one of the charity’s Support Workers at a school in Whitechapel. The Support Worker stressed the benefits of these small individual grants and many compelling and thought-provoking cases were discussed.
The Company continued the annual block grants of £10,000 to the Refugee Council and of £40,000 to the National Churches Trust. Stepney Episcopal Area Fund was also awarded £10,000 to distribute to churches in need in Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Islington.
Smaller grants, totalling £530,000, were distributed under the four category headings: General Welfare; Medical and Disabled; Youth; and Culture. Charities working with the homeless, prisoners, the elderly, and disadvantaged children and young people were deemed particularly worthy. Medical welfare and disability charities also continued to receive strong support from the Company. Two of those charities of particular note were the Back-Up Trust, which provides a range of services for people with spinal cord injury, and Changing Faces, which supports and represents those who have disfigurement to the face, hands or body.
The Wardens disbursed more than £200,000 annually for those appeals outside the purview of the Charity and Education Committees. These grants included £21,000 to St. Vedast, the Company’s church, for a showcase for its silver; financial assistance to the Company’s various military affiliations; and £33,000 to the Silversmiths’ and Jewellers’ Charity. As in previous years, a number of grants were agreed to enable charities to use the Hall for fundraising events.
Ciorsdan Brown
Talented
Nick Harland
Dave Merry from the Assay Office signs up his youngest apprentice. Image: Sophia Tobin
The Farms for City Children programme in action.
Communications & Marketing
The Communications & Marketing Department took over from the previous Promotion, Press and Marketing Department in October 2013. The change of name denotes an important change in emphasis. Under the previous regime, the Department was primarily focused on promoting an exhibition programme initiated by the Director of Promotion. When the Court decided to discontinue major exhibitions at Goldsmiths’ Hall, it was felt that the marketing and PR expertise of the team should be redirected towards promoting the core activities of the Company to both internal and external audiences. Internal audiences include Liverymen, Freemen and staff. External audiences include the trade, Livery Companies, the City of London, industry partners and Assay Office clientele, potential users of the Hall and the general public. The objective is to build the exposure of the Goldsmiths’ Company brand by communicating more of the important and innovative work of the Centre, the Assay Office, the Curator’s Department, the Library and the work in charity and education. In this way it is hoped to build a more complete picture of the Goldsmiths’ Company in the minds of the general public as well as the specific target audiences for each of the Company’s component parts.
With his years of experience in the world of corporate communications, Michael Prideaux was the ideal choice for Chairman of the Communications & Marketing Committee. Newly elected to the Court, and before establishing the formal Committee, Michael chaired an ad-hoc committee which laid out the primary goals and objectives of the new Department. Once the Committee’s constitution was approved by the Court, its work and that of the Department started in earnest at the beginning of 2014.
David Mills, who had supported the previous Promotion Department in a part-time marketing role, has stepped up to take the reins as the Head of Communications & Marketing. Joanne Dodd, formerly the Fair Administrator, has taken on primary responsibility for delivering the Goldsmiths’ Fair and assumed the role of Fair and Events Manager. Richard Webb is the Company’s full-time Web Development Manager, responsible for overall strategy and delivery of the Company’s online assets including thegoldsmiths.co.uk;whoswhoingoldandsilver.com; and goldsmithsfair.co.uk.Frances Saddington has joined the team as the Communications Assistant to provide support across the Department with a particular emphasis on social media. The Goldsmiths’ Company can now be followed on Twitter (@GoldsmithsCo) and Facebook. Frances’ social media expertise is already paying off, and a whole new generation is being exposed to the world of the Goldsmiths’ Company.
For the last decade Amanda Stücklin has served as the Company’s Press Officer. In addition to a sophisticated understanding of the Company and the trade, she had an amazing knack for building relationships with journalists and securing coverage of the Company’s activities in major media outlets. Amanda chose to move on in October, and while she is sorely missed an excellent replacement has been found: Tom Almeroth-Williams joined the Company in January as the Communications Officer and in a short time secured fantastic coverage of the Trial of the Pyx and Studio SilverTodayat Belton House. Tom’s experience as Press Officer at the National Gallery and Royal Palaces makes him eminently suitable for his role at the Goldsmiths’ Company.
The objective is to build the exposure of the Goldsmiths’ Company brand by communicating more
This is a brave new era for those involved in the communication and marketing of the Company’s wider activities, and they are hungry for the challenge!
David Mills
Craft & Industry
Work on all fronts commenced in the spring following the outcome of the Craft & Industry Committee Working Group review. Sixteen undergraduates, in July 2013, entered the week-long Undergraduate Summer School programme, held at the Centre, which focused on traditional jewellery and silversmithing skills. The students found the exercises challenging and they provided excellent feedback on this initiative which will be repeated.
A week later, 24 (of 25) Goldsmiths’ Company apprentices undertook two weeks of classes in setting, mounting and engraving. This was a resounding success and demonstrated how the facilities of the Goldsmiths’ Centre are transforming the Company’s programmes.
Two proposals of the Working Group, set up in January 2013, were carried out. The Technical Journal Online was completed and launched on the Assay Office’s stand at International Jewellery London in September and, by the end of the year, the Craft & Industry section of the Company’s website had been restructured.
Meanwhile, GettingStarted has been staged for a second time at the Goldsmiths’ Centre, where its amazing facilities made the week-long course an extraordinary opportunity for recent graduates aspiring to work in the trade.
The Centre’s evening reception, hosted by the Committee, again achieved an exceptional buzz and was well supported by many influential and successful goldsmiths and friends of the Company.
Having enjoyed great success in 2013, the Company’s apprentices achieved similar results in the 2014 Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council competition winning a plethora of prizes including ‘Gold Awards’. This year the beneficiaries of the Goldsmiths’ Centre Foundation Programme also competed, and our
two cohorts achieved a total of 10 commendations between them. As a result the Goldsmiths’ Centre won the ‘College Cup’, an amazing achievement after just one year of operation. Four out of the five apprentices bound last year were graduates of the Foundation Programme, and two of them competed at the World Skills UK competition at the NEC, Birmingham where, amazingly, one won the bronze medal – after less than 18 months at the bench. The Company’s own apprentices also won the gold and silver medals – an impressive outcome for these young people.
The Committee is keen to maintain and to develop the quality of the Goldsmiths’ Company Apprenticeship Programme and to ensure that day-time and part-time release to the Goldsmiths’ Centre once again become an integral part of the apprentices’ experience.
In March 2014, Robin Kyte returned to his role as Educational Consultant for the Programme. He was joined by Barry Moss and Steve Jinks who will be overseen, on a day-to-day basis, by Helen Dobson, who was promoted last year to become the Projects Officer.
The final pieces of the Centre’s management team were put in place with the arrival of Chris Oliver, in January, and Karine Lepeuple in February. Chris Oliver has taken on the new role of Curriculum Leader whose remit will include the management of all the professional training undertaken at the Centre. Karine has joined the Centre in a new role as the Deputy Director, and this will release the Director to concentrate on developing the Centre’s educational and training courses. The Centre is now well placed both to deliver the Company’s programmes in support of the craft and industry and also to build on its already impressive reputation as a beacon of excellence and a place for doing business.
PeterTaylor
C&M Department (from left) David Mills, Joanne Dodd, Richard Webb, Tom Almeroth-Williams. Frances Saddington not pictured. Image: Julia Skupny
Steven Jinks with Summer School students. Image: Robin Kyte
Curator’s Report
This year’s exhibition of StudioSilverToday opened in March at Belton House in Lincolnshire and continues until 1 November. Angela Cork, the silversmith in residence, is making a beaker (which the visiting public can win) which is inspired by the ornamentation on the Belton grand staircase. Her showcase contains five Company pieces including this year’s new purchase - the PillowDish. The exhibition’s private view, held in the presence of the Prime Warden, was attended by 120 people invited from the Company’s membership, galleries, museums, the Historic Houses Association, the Art Fund, and NADFAS. The delight expressed by these guests, when seeing Angela’s innovative silver, inspired by the tranquillity of Japanese gardens, reflects the wider reaction of the visiting public to these exhibitions which are staged in association with the National Trust. Belton House is the final exhibition in this series. Over 500,000 people will have visited these exhibitions - staged at Dunham Massey, Kedleston, Ickworth, Erdigg and Belton - and many will have witnessed contemporary silver for the first time. The chosen artist silversmiths in residence have all been women. They are all excellent ambassadors of the beauty of contemporary silver today.
Britain is the leading country in the world for modern silver. The 2013 winner of the Young Designer Silversmith Award, Kyosun Jung, made her sake set design in Clive Burr’s workshop. It was presented to the Victoria and Albert Museum for its collection last year. In the 2014 Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council competition, the set won the top Junior Award for its high standard of craftsmanship and design. Although the Young Designer Silversmith Award was initiated as long ago as 1993, perennials need examination, and it has been decided to stop this particular scheme. Its real benefit to the winner was the provision of an intensive workshop experience. Therefore, in order to widen this support and to extend the skill base of today’s silversmiths, it has been decided that in 2014 the new focus will be on offering 18 internships in host workshops, both to established silversmiths represented in the Company’s Collection and to selected students.
One beneficiary of this new Master Craftsmen Internship Programme is Rauni Higson, who will work in Rod Kelly’s Shetland workshop. Last June I visited Muckleroe, and formally inaugurated the Company’s work bench; it is one of six sponsored benches which will underpin Rod’s training initiative. Whilst there, Rauni will begin her major commission for the Clothworkers’ Company. Meanwhile, the Company has purchased Rauni’s hammered and formed, flowing Glacierdish from the 2013 Goldsmiths’ Fair. This dish won the Cookson Gold Award in this year’s Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council Awards.
Another purchase from the Fair was Angus McFadyen’s hand raised vase, shimmering with his engraved honeysuckle motif like a damascene fabric. In stark contrast, the third purchase was the silver and purple heart fruit bowl by Kathryn Hinton. Kathryn has developed digital technology to mimic the physical actions of silversmithing. Incorporating a digital hammer, and CAD design, a press formed mould is produced in which the silver sheet is pressed – to extraordinary effect.
Two commissions resulted from the 2012 Fair. Forged and fabricated, the lyrical VesselVase (2013), by Olivia Lowe, allows flowers to be displayed in such a way that the vase retains its linear outline, giving the whole piece a new totality. The other commission, given to Petya Kapralova, a Bulgarian silversmith, is an unusual sculptural cutlery set entitled Viaduct.The hand forged knife, fork and spoon, on an iron stand with a silver inlay, evoke the curved outline of the Ribblehead Viaduct in the rolling Yorkshire landscape. When placed together on the stand, the cutlery is hidden by the spoon, playing on the concepts of sculpture and function.
Pamela Rawnsley’s Threecups,OutoftheBluegroup, fabricated from thin sheet, scored and folded with punched dotted lines, were inspired by the stark Australian bush terrain. A focal point on the Ruthin Gallery stand at Collect, the cups were later purchased by the Company. The final purchase for the Collection was from the jeweller Jacqueline Ryan. Her award-winning 18 ct gold enamel and pearl necklace consists of hollow form clusters, reminiscent of seed cases. The 400 hand pierced, forged and enamelled elements allow the necklace to have a natural rhythm within its dense and complex structure when worn.
Commissions take time but are worth the wait. Sheila McDonald, an enamel jeweller, was invited to extend her skill by undertaking a large scale piece. The result is her stunning BirdVasein silver, enamel, fine gold and silver foil. Inspired by her watercolours of the Shetland landscape with its sheer rugged cliffs, Sheila’s vase evocatively captures the movement of circling birds in a swirling sea mist.
The ultimate commission for craftsmen is one to commemorate the year of the Prime Warden. Jane Short was commissioned by Michael Galsworthy, Prime Warden in 2011, to undertake an engraved silver and enamel speech timer. The design brief was to convey the landscape of Cornish beaches, sea and sand, marrying the trickling of the sand with this landscape. Sea weeds of various kinds swirl into flowing water patterns, mussels are crammed into rock crevices, and a mackerel shoal swims across the base of the timer. All are executed in the clear colours of the Cornish coast. To be used at formal dinners, this speech timer is not only functional but a decorative work of art of outstanding skill.
Michael Galsworthy’s Prime Warden’s portrait medal was undertaken by Philip Nathan, art medallist. Featuring his instantly recognisable profile on the obverse, the interests of this Prime Warden, on the reverse, are designed like tapestry motifs – magnolia flowers weave across a Celtic cross against a Cornish background of rolling hills and rugged coastline. This year’s Prime Warden, Richard Agutter, commissioned two water beakers for the use of the Prime Warden and his wife at dinners as his generous gift to the Company. One beaker by Michael Lloyd has the chased symbols of the United Kingdom – daffodil, thistle, shamrock and rose – designed as an overall pattern. The other beaker, by Rod Kelly, is chased with the theme of hallmarking and silversmithing, with the design of a leopard’s head, raising hammer and other craft tools. Both are a delight to see and to use – and both reflect the quality of design and craftsmanship of modern silver today and the pleasure that such modern pieces give.
RosemaryRansomeWallis
Necklace, 2013, 18 carat gold, enamel and pearls by Jacqueline Ryan. Image: Clarissa Bruce
Bird vase, 2013, silver and enamel, by Sheila McDonald. Image: Clarissa Bruce
Speech timer (Prime Warden’s Commission, Mr Michael Galsworthy), 2014, silver and enamel, by Jane Short. Image: Richard Valencia.
Michael Galsworthy’s Prime Warden’s Portrait Medal, 2013, silver, by Philip Nathan. Image: Clarissa Bruce
Library Report
The generosity of friends of the Library has led to many stunning new acquisitions this year, with gifts from authors, such as Charles Truman’s The Wallace Collection:catalogueofgoldboxes among the highlights. The exchange programme with the Silver Museum Sterckshof in Antwerp has also been a fruitful source of new publications. New books acquired through purchase include technical works such as Jinks McGrath’s TheCompleteJewellery Maker, and historical works, including Jenny Stratford’s RichardIIandtheEnglishRoyalTreasure. The Library was also pleased to acquire Silversmithing.AContemporary GuidetoMakingby Brian Hill and Andrew Putland. Liveryman and silversmith Christopher Lawrence generously donated two volumes of design drawings of silver made throughout his career. Meanwhile, the programme to photograph drawings already catalogued continues with the help of photographer Richard Valencia.
The Company’s archives have enjoyed particular prominence this year, thanks to the Museum of London’s Cheapside Hoard exhibition. Its Curator, Hazel Forsyth, researched extensively in the Company’s records. Plans and documents relating to Goldsmiths’ property in Cheapside feature in her accompanying book and appeared, along with the Librarian, in a BBC4 documentary. The Company’s portrait of the goldsmith John Lonyson and a set of touchneedles were both on display in the exhibition itself. In April, to celebrate the new scholarship produced by Hazel Forsyth’s remarkable research, the library hosted a symposium on goldsmiths in early 17th century London.
The long-term preservation of the archives requires continual work, and two new initiatives with that objective were started this year: the acquisition of a new digital cataloguing system; and the re-housing of maps, plans and drawings.
Two of the Library’s long-running research projects reached their final stages in 2014. Dr David Mitchell’s database of 17th century goldsmiths is based on the Company’s records and is being developed in partnership with the Centre for Metropolitan History. It has already provided basic data for the online ROLLCO database launched last year, but now a more comprehensive search facility is being trialled by researchers in the Library, producing some impressive results. Also nearing completion is John Culme’s database of 18th century goldsmiths, compiled to help identify the names of working goldsmiths and silversmiths which were lost with the two missing marks registers – the Smallworkers book c.1739-c.1758 and the Largeworkers book c.1758-1773. It is anticipated that both databases will be launched later this year.
The Library’s recent schedule of educational tours has included groups from all backgrounds (and all ages). Alongside visits for students and hallmarking information days arranged in conjunction with the Assay Office, the Library hosted several special study days for the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s pre-apprenticeship course. These visits focused on topics such as heraldry and researching a special commission. In June we participated in an activity day for children from schools participating in the Company’s numeracy and literacy projects. The pupils were ‘bound apprentice’, received a special certificate, and quickly became experts in understanding hallmarks!
Library staff have been showing their literary skills to great effect this year, being enthusiastic contributors to the Company’s Twitter account, launched in 2013. After months of eager anticipation, the Library Administrator Sophia Tobin’s novel, TheSilversmith’sWife,was launched on 16 January 2014. A best-seller, the book revolves around the murder of a silversmith in 18th century London, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, Goldsmiths’ Hall makes an appearance.
Eleni Bide
Committees
Antique Plate
Mr R.N. Fox (Chairman)
Mr R.F.H. Vanderpump
Mr N.V. Bassant
Mr A.J. Butcher
Mr P. Cameron
Mr D.E. Cawte
Mr A.J. Dickenson
Mrs K. Jones
Mrs L.M. Morton
Mr H. Willis
Assay Office Management
Mr G.G. Macdonald (Chairman)
Mr R.D. Agutter
Mr R.G.H. Crofts
Mr C.V.S. Hoare Nairne
Mr S.M. Ottewill
Mr R.E. Southall
Mr A.C. Vanderpump
Mr M.R. Winwood
Charity
Mr D.A.E.R. Peake (Chairman)
Mr S.A. Shepherd
The Hon. Mark Bridges
Dr C.G. Mackworth-Young
Mr W.K. Benbow
Mr R.G. Ford
Dr J.W. Hanbury-Tenison
Miss E.K. Himsworth
Mr J.B.A. Holt
The Hon. Dr Elisabeth Martin
Professor R. O’Hora
Mr J.M. Polk
Mr W.G. Touche
Collection and Library
Professor R.L. Himsworth (Chairman)
Mr R.F.H. Vanderpump
Mr T.B. Schroder
Mr H.J. Miller
Mr R.A. Cornelius
Dr K. Jensen
Mr C.H. Truman
Mr A.E. Turner
Communications & Marketing
Mr M.C.T. Prideaux (Chairman)
Mrs J.J. Clark
Mr G. Courtauld
Miss A. Durnford
Miss J.B. Springer
Mr D.S. Twining
Miss R. van Rooijen
Craft and Industry
Mr G.G. Macdonald (Chairman)
Mr S.A. Shepherd
Mr R.N. Fox
Mr A.J. Bedford
Mr T.R.B. Fattorini
Mr B.D. Hill
Mrs D.M. Mitchell
Miss J.B. Springer
Education
The Lord Sutherland of Houndwood (Chairman)
Dame Lynne Brindley
Mr W.K. Benbow
Mr J.D. Buchanan-Dunlop
Miss C.V. Copeland
Mr C.D.J. Holborow
Dr V.V. Lawrence
Mr A.C. Peake
Mr R.A. Reddaway
The Hon. Mrs Meg Sanders
Mr R.G. Straker
The Lady Willoughby de Broke
Goldsmiths’ Review Board
Mr R.D. Agutter
Mr W.H.M. Parente
Mr R.G. Melly
Mr N.J.G. Harland
Mr D.A. Beasley (Editor)
Miss E.R. Bide (Assistant Editor)
House
Mr H.J. Miller (Chairman)
Mr R.P.T. Came
Mr M.D. Drury
Mrs N. Buchanan-Dunlop
The Hon. Joanna Gardner
Miss J.F.C. Goad
Mr G.C.D. Harris
Investment
Mr R.N. Hambro (Chairman)
Mr W.H.M. Parente
Mr N.A.P. Carson
Mr U.D. Barnett
Mr A.P.A. Drysdale
Mr W. Hill
Sir Stuart Lipton
Mr R.R. Madeley
Sir John Rose
Membership
Mr T.B. Schroder (Chairman)
Mr E.C. Braham
Ms J.L. Clarke
Mr W.T. Edgerley
Mr T.R.B. Fattorini
Miss V.E.G. Harper
Mr M.S.A. Magnay
Dame Rosalind Savill
Mr S. Webster
Modern
Professor R.L. Himsworth (Chairman)
Mr M.D. Drury
Mr G.C. Munn
Miss V.R. Broackes
Mr C.E. Burr
Miss C. De Syllas
Mrs J.A. Game
Miss O.D. Krinos
Ms D. Solowiej Wedderburn
Image: Simon & Schuster.
Membership
Members of the Court of Assistants
Mr R.D. Agutter PrimeWardenuntil16May2014
Mr W.H.M. Parente PrimeWardenfrom16May2014
Mr T.B. Schroder, FSA SecondWardenfrom16May2014
Mr M.J. Wainwright ThirdWardenfrom16May2014
Miss J.A. Lowe FIL, FRSA, FInstD FourthWardenfrom 16May2014
*Sir Anthony Touche, Bt
*Mr C.R.C. Aston, TD
*Sir Hugo Huntington-Whiteley, Bt, DL
*Mr S.A. Shepherd
*The Lord Tombs of Brailes
*Sir Paul Girolami
*The Lord Cunliffe
* Mr R.F.H. Vanderpump
*Mr B.L. Schroder
*Mr R.P.T. Came
HRH The Prince of Wales, KG, KT, GCB (HonoraryAssistant)
Mr D.A.E.R. Peake
Mr B.E. Toye
Mr M. Dru Drury, CBE, FSA
Sir Jerry Wiggin, TD
Professor R.L. Himsworth
Mr G.G. Macdonald
Mr R.N. Hambro
Mr A.M.J. Galsworthy, CVO, CBE, DL
Mr H.J. Miller
The Lord Sutherland of Houndwood, KT, FBA, FRSE
Mr M.C.T. Prideaux
Mr N.A.P. Carson FRSA
Mr R.N. Fox
Dame Lynne Brindley, DBE
Mr E.C. Braham
The Hon Mark Bridges
Mr G.C. Munn OBE, FSA, FRSA
Brigadier Edward Butler, DSO, MBE
Dr C.G. Mackworth-Young, MD, FRCP
* Retired status
The Livery
The following deaths of Liverymen were reported during the year (preceded by the year of clothing).
1987 Professor H.R. Hoggart
1986 Mr D.B. Inglis
1945 Mr A.E. Loyd ERD, TD
1953 Sir Humphrey Prideaux OBE, DL
1987 Mr M.S. Soames
1978 Mr A.D. Westmore
The following Freemen were elected to the Livery and duly clothed during the year.
Mr John Bernard Love
New Freemen
By Special Grant
Susan Bailey DirectorofFinance,TheGoldsmiths’Company
Alison Clare Louise Byne Promotions&EventCo-ordinator,TheGoldsmiths’ CompanyAssayOffice
Nicholas Jonathan Godfrey Harland DeputyClerk,TheGoldsmiths’Company
Samantha Love AssayOfficeTechnician,TheGoldsmiths’CompanyAssay Office
Michael Paul Sankarlingham MaintenanceAssistant,TheGoldsmiths’Company
Fiona Mair Sutherland GalleryOwner
By Redemption
James Benedict Amos Director,Boodles
Alexandra Mary Ogilvie Durnford CrisisManagementConsultant
Tina Engell Goldsmith
Thomas French Designer/Retailer
William Richard Francis Gayner CommoditiesTrader
Beatrice Irene Helen Victoria Grant Housewife
David Ian Heaton FacilityManager
Adam Douglas Jacobs RetailJeweller
Daren Clifford Lightwood Manufacturer
Charles John Lucas CivilandStructuralEngineer
Kieran Martin McCarthy Director,Wartski
Diane Mary Mitchell PortfolioManager,City&Guilds
Melanie Fay Moore Enameller/Jeweller
Andrew James Morton Manufacturer
Elizabeth Susan Passey AssetManagement,GlobalEquities,Investec
Jacqueline Elizabeth Pearn Valuer/Auctioneer
Sarah Louise Treseder CEO,RYA
Philip Stephan Arnold von Mallinckrodt Banker
By Patrimony
Agnes May Jones daughterofMarkEllisPowellJones,aLiveryman
Frederick Gordon Bryan Toye sonofBryanEdwardToye,anAssistant
Sarah Catherine Trillwood daughterofNicholasJohnTrillwood,aFreeman
By Service
Robyn Samantha Allen daughterofJanetMaryAllenandlateapprentice ofMarkAnthonyGriffin
Jake Charles Biggs sonofKevinCharlesBiggsandlateapprentice ofStanleyVictorSomerford(SVSDesignsLtd)
Associate Members
The following death of an Associate was reported during the year (preceded by the year of his admission).
1980 Dr Christoffe Julius Raub
The following have been enrolled as an Associate of the Goldsmiths’ Company honoriscausa:
Mr John Rankin Macdonald Keatley
Binney Medal Winners
The Binney Award Winner for 2013 was Mr Stephen Izegbu.
Company Fact File
May 2013-2014
StudioSilverTodayatErdigg:
Rauni Higson’s residency closed on 2 November 2013. She noted a wide variety of visitors, including, on one weekend, 100 Cub Scouts. Her beaker was won by a visitor based in Scarborough.
Ultra Vanities
This exhibition displayed over 300 objects from a single private collection. It ran from 31 May – 20 July 2013, and attracted nearly 6,000 visitors. One hundred and thirtynine copies of the accompanying book were sold.
Goldsmiths’CompanyPavilion
Eighty-eight exhibitors displayed their wares at this selling exhibition, which ran between 26 – 29 June. It attracted over 2,000 visitors.
NewDesigners2013
Jewellery and metalwork was shown during week one, which ran between 26-29 June. The Goldsmiths’ Company award for silversmithing was given to Florence Carter and the award for jewellery went to Kelly Munro. Both received an internship with a £500 travel bursary and a registration package at the London Assay Office.
Goldsmiths’Fair 2013
One hundred and seventy-eight exhibitors displayed their work at the Fair, which ran between 23 September – 6 October. It attracted 8,933 visitors and generated £3.55 million in sales.
YoungDesignerSilversmithAward2013
Kyosun Jung’s sake set was presented by the Prime Warden to Martin Roth, Director of the V&A on 30 September 2013. This event marked the end of this YDSA programme. Kyosun studied at the University of the Creative Arts, Rochester, and made her piece in Clive Burr’s workshop.
Getting
Started2014
This event was hosted by the Goldsmiths Centre between 13-17 January 2014. Twenty-nine delegates attended, and an evening reception was held on Thursday 16 January.
TrialofthePyx2014
On 4 February 2014 16 jurors counted 5,629 coins by hand out of a total of 45,929 in front of the New Zealand High Commissioner and representatives from the Royal Mint, the National Measurement Office and the Treasury. The Chancellor of the Exchequer attended the Delivery of the Verdicts on 2 May.
StudioSilverTodayatBelton
Angela Cork’s silversmith’s residency at Belton House began on 8 March 2014, and will run until 1 November.
Statistics for the Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office January - December 2013
Photomontage
Events Principal Officers
2014
27 June
Luncheon Club
22 September – 5 October
Goldsmiths’ Fair
13 October
Open Day tours of the Hall
15 October
Freemen’s evening Reception
23 October
Freemen’s evening Reception
10 November
Open Day tours of the Hall
14 November Luncheon Club
1 December
Open Day tours of the Hall
5 December Luncheon Club
2015
12 January
Open Day tours of the Hall
3 February
Trial of the Pyx: Opening Proceedings
16 February
Open Day tours of the Hall
3 March – 6 March
Goldsmiths’ Craft & Design Council: Exhibition
13 March Luncheon Club
16 March
Open Day tours of the Hall
1 May
Trial of the Pyx: Delivery of the Verdicts
Please check our website for news of forthcoming events.
Clerk
Mr R.G. Melly
DeputyClerk
Mr N.J. Harland
DeputyWarden
Dr R.M. Organ
Director,Goldsmiths’Centre
Mr P.J. Taylor
DirectorofFinance
Mrs S. Bailey
CommunicationsOfficer
Dr T. Almeroth-Williams
Librarian
Mr D.A. Beasley
GrantsOfficer
Miss C. Brown
SuperintendentAssayer
Mr J.B. Love
Hallkeeper
Mr R.T. McCrow
HeadofCommunications&Marketing
Mr D. Mills
PersonnelManager
M C.L. Painter
ArtDirector&Curator
Miss R.W. Ransome Wallis
Principal Advisers
ConsultantArchitect
Mr R.S. Melville
PropertySolicitor
Mr M. Swainston
Surveyor
Mr J. Dick