Fellows Auctioneers Ltd

Fellows is based in Birmingham – a hotspot for jewellers and artists during the turn of the 20^th century. Therefore we have the pleasure of dealing with rather a lot of Arts and Crafts items, particularly jewellery. One such piece is Lot 259 from one of our previous Fine Jewellery auctions that took place on the 15^th of May. Founded in 1901 by metalsmith and enameller Nelson Dawson, The Artificers’ Guild was one of the most commercially successful guilds to be inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement. Montague Foreman took over in 1903, who was the first director of the Birmingham Guild of Handicraft. He moved the premises from Chiswick to his gallery on Maddox Street in London. Under his ownership of the company, Edward Spencer got a promotion to chief designer. He remained in this role till 1906 when he took over as director.

The core of the Guild’s work was devoted to supplying church plate. However, they also produced a wide variety of other crafts such as stained-glass, metalwork, and jewellery. Defined by skilled craftsmanship and quality of metalwork, the work produced by the Guild is now highly sought after. It is recognised as an important contribution to jewellery from this period. At its peak, the Guild employed over 40 staff, most of whom were trained to be skilled jewellers in the Guild’s workshop.

The Arts and Crafts Movement

The Arts and Crafts Movement began in the late-nineteenth century and continued into the mid 20^th. At the heart of the movement is the belief that a healthy society should lift independent creators, and encourage beauty in all areas of life. It began primarily in reaction to the industrial revolution which saw an increase in mass-produced, lower quality items. The Arts and Crafts followers sought to preserve traditional methods of craft. The movement was incredibly influential and has touched many areas of design, from wallpaper to soft furnishings, ceramics to crockery. We have several objects of interest in our Antiques auction that you can read about here. However Lot 259 is from our Fine Jewellery auction and is especially emblematic of the period.

Lot 259

Our lot is a charming example of an Arts and Crafts pendant produced by the Guild. A blue gem is framed with delicately crafted silver foliate with a pearl drop, attributed to Horace Minns. He was one of the Guild’s jewellers, and was born in 1887 in Woking. He spent his early years living in London and was taken on by Swiss jeweller, Joseph Hodel. In 1910, the pair moved to Liverpool to continue their craft as Minns would actualise Hodel’s designs. In 1911, Minns decided to move back home to London. Upon his return he began working for the Artificers’ Guild. His name appears in many different exhibition catalogues as he was one of the jewellers bringing Edward Spencer’s designs to life.