So I just got these yesterday, I’ve been looking for an example of Benney’s work for several years now. These are entirely hand made and quite pleasing to add to the collection:
Gerald Benney, London, 1982: @Weiss
Very cool. Europeans had a fascination with cups made of exotic coconut shells brought back during the era of Indian colonialism (1600-1800). They'd mount sterling silver fixtures to them, sometimes carve them. Drinking from them was supposed to cure certain ailments.
Your pieces look like a nod to those earlier pieces, except done all in sterling. They have a bit of an arts & crafts touch to them, too, which is a huge bonus to me!
Not mine, but similar:
We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last. --Severian the Lame
@Weiss said:
Very cool. Europeans had a fascination with cups made of exotic coconut shells brought back during the era of Indian colonialism (1600-1800). They'd mount sterling silver fixtures to them, sometimes carve them. Drinking from them was supposed to cure certain ailments.
Your pieces look like a nod to those earlier pieces, except done all in sterling. They have a bit of an arts & crafts touch to them, too, which is a huge bonus to me!
Not mine, but similar:
They do indeed look like coconuts. They call that texturing Benney Bark he did that on a lot of his wares.
Love the prominent placement of the hallmarks. Entirely intentional. That's an arts & crafts element as well. While many silversmiths would intentionally place their marks somewhere discreet, he's obviously used them as a design element and almost a challenge: I made these, and they're very good.
That was something earlier arts & crafts craftsmen did as well. Gustav Stickley signed his pieces with a makers mark that said "Als Ik Kan"--the very best I can make--often in bright red. And he often used a big paper label as well:
Designer Elbert Hubbard took it one step further. With his "Roycroft" pieces, he placed his signature orb and cross mark in prominent places on the front of his furniture and metal wares. Sometimes he'd place the whole "ROYCROFT" name right across the front of pieces so everyone would know he'd made them--and his wealthy patrons could low key brag about having the good stuff. Kind of like the designer clothes craze of the 1980s:
This is our Roycroft rocker from around 1900. Note the orb and cross mark right in front:
We are like children who look at print and see a serpent in the last letter but one, and a sword in the last. --Severian the Lame
@Weiss said:
Love the prominent placement of the hallmarks. Entirely intentional. That's an arts & crafts element as well. While many silversmiths would intentionally place their marks somewhere discreet, he's obviously used them as a design element and almost a challenge: I made these, and they're very good.
That was something earlier arts & crafts craftsmen did as well. Gustav Stickley signed his pieces with a makers mark that said "Als Ik Kan"--the very best I can make--often in bright red. And he often used a big paper label as well:
Designer Elbert Hubbard took it one step further. With his "Roycroft" pieces, he placed his signature orb and cross mark in prominent places on the front of his furniture and metal wares. Sometimes he'd place the whole "ROYCROFT" name right across the front of pieces so everyone would know he'd made them--and his wealthy patrons could low key brag about having the good stuff. Kind of like the designer clothes craze of the 1980s:
This is our Roycroft rocker from around 1900. Note the orb and cross mark right in front:
Comments
Very cool. Europeans had a fascination with cups made of exotic coconut shells brought back during the era of Indian colonialism (1600-1800). They'd mount sterling silver fixtures to them, sometimes carve them. Drinking from them was supposed to cure certain ailments.
Your pieces look like a nod to those earlier pieces, except done all in sterling. They have a bit of an arts & crafts touch to them, too, which is a huge bonus to me!
Not mine, but similar:
--Severian the Lame
They do indeed look like coconuts.
They call that texturing Benney Bark he did that on a lot of his wares.
My YouTube Channel
Love the prominent placement of the hallmarks. Entirely intentional. That's an arts & crafts element as well. While many silversmiths would intentionally place their marks somewhere discreet, he's obviously used them as a design element and almost a challenge: I made these, and they're very good.
That was something earlier arts & crafts craftsmen did as well. Gustav Stickley signed his pieces with a makers mark that said "Als Ik Kan"--the very best I can make--often in bright red. And he often used a big paper label as well:
Designer Elbert Hubbard took it one step further. With his "Roycroft" pieces, he placed his signature orb and cross mark in prominent places on the front of his furniture and metal wares. Sometimes he'd place the whole "ROYCROFT" name right across the front of pieces so everyone would know he'd made them--and his wealthy patrons could low key brag about having the good stuff. Kind of like the designer clothes craze of the 1980s:
This is our Roycroft rocker from around 1900. Note the orb and cross mark right in front:
--Severian the Lame
@asheland... Those are nice cups.... That style is not common. Cheers, RickO
Indeed I agree. And great furniture!
My YouTube Channel
Thank you!
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