Keswick School of Industrial Art Silver Over Copper Bowls c.1910

It is so wonderful when you find something truly special and these three stunning bowls are very special. They were made at the celebrated Keswick School of Industrial Art (KSIA) in around 1910. Each has a different flower motif to the base. The flowers are hand worked into the base and the bowls are also hand raised with the hammer. They are silver over copper and in some places the copper is starting to show through. All are properly marked KSIA. 

The Keswick School of Industrial Art was founded in 1884 by Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley and his wife Edith as an evening class in woodwork and repoussé metalwork at the Crosthwaite Parish Rooms, in Keswick, which is in Cumbria.  The Rawnsleys were inspired by the ideas of John Ruskin It was designed to alleviate local unemployment. The school prospered and swiftly developed a reputation for high quality copper and silver decorative metalwork. It exhibited nationally and won prizes for its craftsmanship. In 1894 it moved  to a purpose-built building with the support of Walter Crane, Holman Hunt and G. F. Watts. The workrooms were on the ground floor, with the showroom and a library on the upper floor. Beneath the balcony of the façade is the slogan:

"The loving eye and patient hand
Shall work with joy and bless the land"

The school was mainly financed from sales of its products but sadly closed in 1984 after one hundred years creating beautifully handcrafted pieces that will be treasured for centuries to come.

I have long been a fan of the Arts and Crafts era and the ideas that shaped it so it is a real pleasure to be the temporary custodian of these beautiful handmade treasures. The bowls are available separately for $185 each or for $525 for all three. You can select the bowl or bowls that appeal using the drop down menu - bowl 1 is in photo three, bowl 2 is in photo four, and bowl 3 is in photo five. Please look closely at the photographs as they form an important part of the description. If you have any questions please get in touch (contact@eldercroftandsons.co.nz).