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 20th/21st Century Silversmiths
 George Hart and the Guild of Handicraft
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| Author | Topic: George Hart and the Guild of Handicraft |
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Brent Moderator Posts: 1316 |
posted 09-10-2000 08:55 AM
  
 The Guild of Handicraft was one of the most famous producers of Arts & Crafts objects in England. Under the leadership of C.R. Ashbee, who designed most of their wares, the Guild produced some of the most beautiful silver of the period. Unfortunately, the Guild was not a financial success, and it folded in 1908. That, however, is not the end of the story. George Hart, one of the silversmiths at the guild, adopted the workshops and the maker's mark of the Guild and continued producing silver. This spoon by George Hart is one of a set of 12 that I purchased last year. The maker's mark is [G of H]. When the Guild was in operation, the mark was [G of H Ltd.]. When Hart took over, the Ltd. was lopped off. Otherwise, the mark is the same. The similarity of the marks causes a lot of confusion; it even caught me AFTER I knew better. I knew that Hart's mark did not have the Ltd. when I bought this set, but I transposed the fact in my mind so I thought it was actually a Guild piece. What helped was that the dealer misread the hallmarks and dated it to 1910-11. The actual date is 1930-31! If you read Jackson's Pocket Hallmarks, you are left with the impression that Hart's silver is of little value compared to the pieces with the Guild mark. True, any silver actually produced when the Guild was in operation would be worth considerably more, due to the historical associations with Ashbee. In my opinion, though, Hart's silver is valuable in its own right. Although his designs may not be "pure" A&C, the craftsmanship is wonderful. This set of spoons, although more a historical adaptation than anything else, demonstrate the care of a master silversmith, working by hand in the best traditions of the craft. Surprisingly, Hart Silversmiths is still in business at the old Guild site in Chipping Camden, England. It is run by George Hart's grandson, and they have a nice web site at www.hartsilversmiths.co.uk. They apparently welcome visitors, and will reproduce the old Ashbee designs from the Guild days. I would love to visit them myself. Look out for George Hart pieces, but remember the mark differences and don't pay a Guild price for a Hart piece. One of my all-time favorite pieces of silver was by Hart, a gorgeous A&C styled seal-top spoon. Unfortunately, they thought it was a Guild piece and had it priced as such. It will haunt me for years! IP: Logged |
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Julian Hart unregistered |
posted 09-12-2000 03:33 AM
I am pleased to hear you own a set of my Great Grand Farther's spoons and the seal top spoon Both of which we still produce today. If you ever come across any more of our silver you are welcome to contact us and we will try to provide you with as much information as possible about the piece from our collection of Drawings and early Guild catalogues. If you ever get the opportunity to visit us please do. Regards, IP: Logged |
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Julian A. B. Hart Posts: 5 |
posted 04-20-2001 03:43 PM
Just a note to let those of you who are interested in 20th century Arts and Crafts know that we have just added a 1902 Guild of Handicraft Catalogue to our site (click here). ------------------ IP: Logged |
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asheland Posts: 116 |
posted 05-11-2006 02:52 AM
Was everything made by hand without exception? IP: Logged |
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FredZ Posts: 858 |
posted 05-11-2006 06:20 PM
I recall that I own at least two books authored or coauthored by a George Hart. I will locate them and post the titles. Does anyone know if this is the same man we are discussing? Fred IP: Logged |
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