Rose Bowl

Archibald KnoxWW-1902-135152

1902·Silver, enamel, and turquoise·19.1 × 35.3 cm (7 1/2 × 13 7/8 in.)

<p>This bowl, which would have functioned as a centerpiece, is arguably the most important work designed by the Arts and Crafts artist Archibald Knox. Produced for the fashionable and innovative London department store Liberty and Company, the rose bowl incorporates Celtic motifs characteristic of Knox’s work and inspired by his childhood on the Isle of Man. Knox designed over 400 individual works—including clocks, biscuit tins, and tea sets—for Liberty’s Tudric (pewter) and Cymric (silver hollowware and jewelry) lines. The only example produced, this rose bowl, part of Knox’s Cymric line, represents the height of his achievement in silver. Early in his career, Knox trained under the designer Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott, at one time a fellow resident of the Isle of Man, and worked for Christopher Dresser.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1902
Medium: Silver, enamel, and turquoise
Dimensions: 19.1 × 35.3 cm (7 1/2 × 13 7/8 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Archibald Knox

Artist

Archibald Knox

Painting

Archibald Knox was a British designer and metalworker active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, best known for his work with Liberty & Co. in London. He developed a distinctive approach to decorative metalwork and jewelry that synthesized Celtic ornament with Art Nouveau sensibility, favoring asymmetrical forms and interlocking patterns in silver, copper, and enamel. His designs for the Cymric and Tudric ranges became emblematic of the Liberty house style. Knox also worked as a sculptor and illustrator, bringing the same formal vocabulary across multiple media throughout his career.

Tromode, Isle of Man

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