Cloak Clasp
ca. 1903 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Henry Wilson's jewellery is distinctive for its rich colour combinations worked in stones and enamel, and its sculptural qualities. Like many other Arts and Crafts designers, including C.R. Ashbee, Wilson trained originally as an architect. He became interested in metals in the early 1890s, and went on to teach at the Royal College of Art, publishing a practical manual Silverwork and Jewellery in 1903.
In the preface to the manual he encouraged the student to 'feed his imagination on old work' and his own attraction to historical themes can be seen in this clasp, which features the mythological figure of Cupid as its central motif.
In the preface to the manual he encouraged the student to 'feed his imagination on old work' and his own attraction to historical themes can be seen in this clasp, which features the mythological figure of Cupid as its central motif.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver, cloisonné enamel, rock crystal, half-pearls opals |
| Brief description | Cloak clasp, silver, set with roundels of enamel representing the infant Cupid and flowers, designed by Henry Wilson, and probably made in London, about 1903 |
| Physical description | Cloak clasp, silver, rock crystal, half-pearls and opals, set with roundels of cloisonné enamel representing the infant Cupid and flowers. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Object history | Probably made in Henry Wilson's London workshop. Exhibited at the 'Exposition des arts et metiers de la Grande Bretagne au Pavilion de Marsan' in 1913. Formerly in the collection of the British Institute of Industrial Arts |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | Henry Wilson's jewellery is distinctive for its rich colour combinations worked in stones and enamel, and its sculptural qualities. Like many other Arts and Crafts designers, including C.R. Ashbee, Wilson trained originally as an architect. He became interested in metals in the early 1890s, and went on to teach at the Royal College of Art, publishing a practical manual Silverwork and Jewellery in 1903. In the preface to the manual he encouraged the student to 'feed his imagination on old work' and his own attraction to historical themes can be seen in this clasp, which features the mythological figure of Cupid as its central motif. |
| Bibliographic reference | 'Exposition des arts et metiers de la Grande Bretagne au Pavilion de Marsan', Art et Decoration, January 1914, p. 144 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.361-1958 |
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| Record created | April 7, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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