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Pendant and chain
Ashbee, Charles Robert, born 1863 - died 1942 - Enlarge image
Pendant and chain
- Place of origin:
England (made)
London (made) - Date:
ca. 1902 (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Ashbee, Charles Robert, born 1863 - died 1942 (designer)
Guild of Handicraft Ltd. (manufacturers) - Materials and Techniques:
Enamelled gold, sivler, turquoise matrix and three turquoises set in the chain.
- Museum number:
CIRC.330:1, 2-1959
- Gallery location:
Jewellery, Rooms 91 to 93, The William and Judith Bollinger Gallery, case 27, shelf C, box 6 []
C. R. Ashbee was a man of immense talents and energy and a defining figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement. In 1888 he founded the Guild of Handicraft in the East End of London with the intention of reviving traditional craft skills and providing satisfying employment in a deprived area of the city. Trained originally as an architect, he is known also for his highly innovative furniture, metalwork, silver and jewellery designs.
The peacock was one of Ashbee's favourite and most distinctive motifs and he is known to have designed about a dozen peacock jewels in the years around 1900. In this example the bird is decorated with colourful enamels, a popular technique among Arts and Crafts jewellers. It sits on top of a turquoise matrix, highlighting another theme of Arts and Crafts jewellery - the use of unusual, un-cut stones.
