A Guild of Handicraft silver footed bowl or centrepiece, CRA marks

Whisper it quietly but some Guild of Handicraft pieces can be quite dull and boring. Not every piece is ornate with vibrant enamels or inset stones. Is this such a piece? I don’t think so. Sometimes there is beauty in simplicity.  The simplicity of this bowl’s design highlights its elegant form, lines and patina. The bowl is heavy and carries the Guild’s rare CRA mark, for Charles Robert Ashbee, and was made at the peak of his powers in 1900.  It epitomises Ashbee’s philosophy set out in his book “Modern English Silver” under the heading “Requisites of Good Silver-work”:

“[A piece] should first have feeling and character, and this should be expressed both by the designer and the Craftsman……One cannot define these properties….we only know when they are not there”
The bowl has an abundance of feeling and character and is a great illustration of how the arts and crafts movement, and above all Ashbee, heralded modern design. The influence of this type of bowl can clearly be seen in the later metalwork of the Wiener Werkstatte, Georg Jensen and the early American arts and crafts movement.

Price range: Sold

Maker:  Guild of Handicraft

Designer: Charles Robert Ashbee

Date : 1900

Marks: CRA, London, date letter “e”

Material: Sterling silver

Condition: Excellent.

Size:  17.5cm diameter, 7.75cm high

Weight : 10.7 oz, 302 grams