Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Silver, Room 67, The Whiteley Galleries

Case

1903-1904 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Cymric was the name given to a range of original silver and jewellery that A. L. Liberty sponsored in 1898, and which was first exhibited at his shop in the spring of the following year. Although the mark registered at the Goldsmiths’ Company was entered in his name, the majority of the silver and jewellery was made by W. H. Haseler of Birmingham, who became a joint partner in the project, after designs supplied by Oliver Baker and the Silver Studio. Archibald Knox, a Manxman who had worked for Christopher Dresser, was one of the most gifted designers employed by the Silver Studio; he supplied the majority of Liberty metalwork designs between 1899 and 1912.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Leather, with velvet liner for spoons and satin liner in lid
Style
Marks and inscriptions
(Inside lid of box: “Liberty and Co. Ltd. Regent Street, London")
Object history
Acquisition RF: 76 / 369
Purchase - £160
Liberty & Co. Ltd., Regent Street, W1
Set of six in a box. Designed in 1899 by either Rex Silver or Oliver Baker. Liberty's usually suppressed the individual identity of their designers in order to promote the brand image of the firm. The only exception to this practice was when they contributed to the exhibitions organised by the Arts and Crafts Society where the rules explicitly required the designers and craftsmen to be identified.

Neg._No: BW 40497
BW 40500
Summary
Cymric was the name given to a range of original silver and jewellery that A. L. Liberty sponsored in 1898, and which was first exhibited at his shop in the spring of the following year. Although the mark registered at the Goldsmiths’ Company was entered in his name, the majority of the silver and jewellery was made by W. H. Haseler of Birmingham, who became a joint partner in the project, after designs supplied by Oliver Baker and the Silver Studio. Archibald Knox, a Manxman who had worked for Christopher Dresser, was one of the most gifted designers employed by the Silver Studio; he supplied the majority of Liberty metalwork designs between 1899 and 1912.
Associated objects
Collection
Accession number
CIRC.321F-1976

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Record createdMarch 9, 2004
Record URL
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