Archibald Knox Pewter Clock Art Nouveau Design | Silver Colour 13.5cm H | Made in England | AK36

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To celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Knox's birth, the Isle of Man Post Office issued a set of 10 stamps featuring his designs, released in April 2014. [43] Also in 2014, an exhibition exploring the work of Knox and his Celtic contemporaries ("Celtic Style") was held at the House of Manannan, Peel, Isle of Man. A commemorative concert was held at Peel Cathedral featuring newly composed harp music and also including Manx Gaelic choir music. An exhibition of Knox's work was held at the 42nd Olympia International Art & Antiques Fair in London in 2014. Rosemary D.Wren "New Light From Old Records - Archibald Knox's approach to his work", in Martin, S. (ed) (2001) Archibald Knox, Artmedia, London

In 1896 or 1897 Knox was working for / studying with the pioneering designer Christopher Dresser in London. [20] In 1897, Knox started teaching at Redhill School of Art where his friend from art school A. J. Collister was principal. [21] Knox was born on the Isle of Man to Scottish parents, and his Celtic heritage exerted a powerful influence on the young designer. Not only did he introduce Celtic motifs into his designs, but he also became a published scholar of Manx Celtic crosses and standing stones and collected Manx artefacts. Archibald Knox (9 April 1864 in Cronkbourne village, Tromode, Braddan, [1] Isle of Man [2]– 22 February 1933 in Douglas, Isle of Man), was a Manx designer of Scottish descent. He is best known as being Liberty's primary designer at the height of their success and influence upon British and International design. [3] Knox's work bridged the Arts and Crafts Movement, Celtic Revival, Art Nouveau, and Modernism. He is seen as a leading figure of the Modern Style movement. [4] [5] Even then however, the average householder was too poor to replace his wooden utensils with pewter until around the middle of the 18th century. For almost a hundred years thereafter it became the material for every day utensils and commodities.Cadran Cottage, Ballanard Road in Douglas, remodelled c.1910 with design by Knox, was listed as a Registered Building of the Isle of Man in 1996. [40] 'Cadran' means quadrant. Knox starting teaching at Douglas School of Art in 1884, while still a student. The Arts and Crafts architect Baillie Scott started classes at the Art School while Knox was teaching there, and Knox worked with him on some interiors. [17] [18]

Anscombe, Isabelle (1988). "An Outpost of the Arts and Crafts Movement". The Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts. 8: 80–87. doi: 10.2307/1503971. JSTOR 1503971– via JSTOR. Mr. Knox's system of teaching was essentially his own. Instead of insisting on the English method of art education by making laborious copies of scraps of museum specimens of 'styles' he made at his own expense three thousand lantern slides, illustrating works of art from prehistoric times down to the gipsy caravans of to-day, showing how Art was produced by the workman in the joy of using his chisel or hammer. To you of MANNIN it will be interesting to know that he gave lectures on your grey thatched homes, your churches, and your crosses, making us love them as if they were our own." [28] In addition, Archibald Knox made the extremely successful "Cymric" line in silver objects and "Tudor" in pewter for Liberty & Co. Archibald Knox's designs centred on such Celtic motifs as interlaced patterns, crosses, and knots.From 1900 Archibald Knox lived for some years on Isle of Man but returned to London, where he taught at various art colleges. In 1911 Archibald Knox joined some of his former students in founding Knox Guild of Craft and Designs, which was in existence until 1939. In 1912 Archibald Knox spent a year in the US and designed carpets for Bromley & Co. In 1913 Archibald Knox returned to the Isle of Man, where he spent most of his time painting. Pewter is an alloy of tin hardened with small amounts of other metals such as copper, lead, zinc, antimony and sometimes silver. The craft of pewtering started in antiquity - the earliest known item, a flask dating from c1450 BC, was found in Egypt. W.H. Haseler of Birmingham, a firm of manufacturing goldsmiths and jewellers, manufactured the 'Tudric' range. The firm had formed a partnership with Liberty's in May 1901 to manufacture the 'Cymric' range of silver and jewellery, which Liberty had launched in 1899.

Knox has been described as modest and monk-like: "almost Cistercian in his silence". [38] He has also been described as gruff and stubborn. However, he did have close friendships, such as with Canon Quine [15] and A. J. Collister. He was an active member of various societies such as the Isle of Man Antiquarian Society and the Freemasons. He was a sidesman at his local high Anglican Church, St Matthew's. [26] He also wrote a number of articles in journals to communicate his ideas. Arthur Lasenby Liberty's grave at St John the Baptist Churchyard, The Lee – Archibald Knox". www.archibaldknoxforum.com . Retrieved 18 October 2023.Knox had an innovative method of teaching art: he collected a set of three thousand glass slides, of examples of design work, to show his students. While showing these he encouraged the students to consider the design principles involved in each, and whether the design met the functional requirements. [27] a b "Archibald Knox". Mannin. 7: 381 et seq. May 1916. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012 – via Isle of Man. In the year 1348 Articles were granted to the Worshipful Company of Pewterers in London, which enabled them to control the quality of pewter. Two grades of pewter were specified, and then later a further grade was added, and these three grades were adhered to until the 20th century. Knox was part of a 'Manx renaissance' of culture and history led by antiquarians. They rediscovered, reconstructed and reinterpreted history and traditions to bolster Manx cultural distinctiveness and devolved political status in the face of economic and social influences from the British Empire and the thousands of visitors to the Island's booming tourism industry. [30] [8] [31] [ unreliable source?] This was part of a wider Celtic Revival echoed in smaller nations across Europe asserting their identities.

Pewter is a malleable alloy, composed largely of tin with antimony, bismuth, copper and silver. Relatively cheap, it was known as ‘poor man’s silver’, and was very popular at the turn of the century amongst those looking for affordable yet modern pieces for their homes. Liberty’s Tudric range was respected as good quality pewter, with a higher than average proportion of silver. It can be found either polished or left with a dull matte patina. Knox died of heart failure in 1933 and was buried in Braddan Cemetery. His epitaph reads "Archibald Knox. Artist. A humble servant of God in the ministry of the beautiful". On Sundays Knox would go to the countryside to paint. He would often wait for hours for the right effect of light and weather, and would then catch the effect rapidly in watercolour. He has been described as "The man who could paint the wind". While living in Sulby, [ when?] Knox wrote of his watercolours that The designs for the 'Tudric' range, as with Liberty's 'Cymric' range of silver and jewellery, were supplied by the Silver Studio. The Studio had offices in Brook Green, Hammersmith, London. Attributing individual designs of Liberty's wares to particular designers was hampered by Liberty's policy of concealing their identities. Nonetheless, subsequent research has identified the principal contributors. From the Silver Studio they included Rex Silver (1879-1965), the head of the Studio after 1896, his brother Harry Silver (1882-1972), Harry Napper (1860-1930) and John Illingworth Kay. The most prominent, however, was Archibald Knox, a gifted designer from the Isle of Man who started working for the Studio in 1898.The appeal of pewter comes mainly from its good proportions and functional design. Items from the 17th and 18th centuries are obviously much rarer than those of the 19th century, which form the basis of most collections, and when collecting pewter became popular. The century culminated in the formation of The Society of Pewter Collectors in 1918, which is still operating today, under the name of the Pewter Society. a b "Buildings at risk: Why we must recognise the work of Archibald Knox". www.iomtoday.co.im. 7 July 2019. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021 . Retrieved 22 April 2021. For the true Archibald Knox connoisseur, there is a wide range of other areas that Knox turned his hand to. Typically these items are much rarer. Knox’s first commercial designs were for textiles when he worked for the Silver Studio in around 1897. Occasionally his fabrics or wallpaper designs can be identified and come up for sale. From the Isle of Man itself, Knox did occasional furniture designs, often for himself, or other metalwork. I recently sold an amazing sundial pointer he designed that was cast on the Island in 1905. Prices in this category vary hugely but anything substantial and unequivocally by Knox from the Isle of Man itself will typically be many thousands. The 15th and 16th centuries are described as the Golden Age for pewter manufacture, a time when even grand houses used pewter as well as silver for domestic use and a time which preceded the introduction of mass-produced ceramic wares, which ultimately replaced pewter, especially plates and drinking vessels. In 1975 the V&A Museum staged an exhibition of Liberty's designs. This started a slow increase in awareness of Knox and his work. [39]