Brooch/Pendant
Datec. 1900
Artist
Charles Robert Ashbee
(British craftsman, designer, and writer, 1863–1942)
MediumEnamel on copper, silver with cabochon amethyst
Dimensions2 1/8 × 1 1/2 × 5/8 in. (5.4 × 3.8 × 1.6 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mrs. H. W. Janson, 1976
Object number1976-36
On View
On viewCollections
ClassificationsDECORATIVE ARTS
Label TextIn 1888, Charles Robert Ashbee established the Guild of Handicraft, in Whitechapel, London, specializing in silver and metalwork. Ashbee was clearly responding to the call for handcrafts espoused by both John Ruskin and William Morris. In 1902, he moved the Guild to the rural Cotswolds, to escape the ugliness of urban life and embrace a more commune-like lifestyle. The designs produced by the firm, many designed by Ashbee himself, were often derived from organic motifs, as in the case of the Brooch.