a b c d Knox the Person (12 December 2017). "Archibald Knox | Knox the Person". Archibaldknoxforum.com . Retrieved 9 September 2018. Archibald Knox (1864-1933) was a talented and prolific designer whose work spans modernism, Art Nouveau, the Arts & Crafts movement, and Celtic revival. He designed for Liberty, the Regent Street store still open today, for just eight years of his life but throughout his career as an art teacher he also painted water colours, principally landscapes of his beloved Isle of Man. 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. 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. In 1897 Knox began working for the Silver Studio, who were designing for Liberty. [22] In 1899 he left with Collister for the Kingston School of Art. [21]

In 1912, Knox resigned from his post as Head of Design at Kingston School of Art following criticism of his teaching. About twenty of his students also quit and set up the Knox Guild of Design and Crafts. Knox was the Master of the Guild and would return to Kingston to exhibit with them. In 1913, he spent a year in the United States, and on his return to Man acted as a censor of internees' letters during World War I. [32] In 1919, after the War, he again took up teaching art at some of the Isle of Man's schools until his death. [33] Knox produced a variety of design work on the island for publications, illuminations, and gravestones. [34] In the early 20th century, the popularity of pewter was revived with the introduction of the Art Nouveau styles of Liberty's Tudric range. From 1900 to 1904 Knox returned to the Isle of Man, and produced over 400 designs directly for Liberty of London, most notably for the Cymric and Tudric ranges. [23] [24] Their Cymric catalogue stated, “The feature of this development is, its complete breaking away from convention in the matter of design treatment”. [24] "Knox and his colleagues whether they be his fellow designers at the Silver Studio or the Liberty management who gave their undoubted support, had moved the Arts and Crafts stylistic principles one stage further forward and in so doing, had created a distinctive British version of Art Nouveau" (V&A) [25] This work contributed to Liberty's aim of "the production of useful and beautiful objects at prices within the reach of all classes." Knox then returned to teach at Kingston School of Art and Wimbledon Art School 1906/7, again following his friend A. J. Collister. [21] Teaching methods and design principles [ edit ] 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.Knox, Archibald "Ancient Crosses in the Isle of Man" in The Builder 30 September 1896 pp. 243-246. (Includes sketches of the designs on Manx Crosses) This is perhaps what Knox is best known for and there are several important points to consider as a potential collector. Knox only designed, never made, silver for Liberty & Co and, with a very few exceptions, none of his pieces, or designs, are signed by him. So almost everything that is deemed Knox is, to varying degrees of certainty, attributions. To add to this, Knox’s designs were adapted by Liberty, so you have many pieces which may have Knox motifs, but where the entirety of the piece is not by Knox. In general, pieces which are clearly and wholly by Knox are more expensive, and within that category, those that are most radical and modernist are the most expensive. Archibald Knox (1864-1933) was one of the leading designers of the Arts & Crafts Movement. He is perhaps best remembered for the designs he produced for the iconic London department store Liberty & Co., including those made for their popular Tudric pewter range, which remain sought-after at auction today.

Archibald Knox Celtic Style Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of his Birth". Isle of Man Post Office. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014 . Retrieved 21 March 2014. The Archibald Knox Society was founded in 2006. The aim of the Society is the education of the public worldwide in relation to all matters concerning the legacy of Knox. [42] To this end the Society has given lectures, (including an international tour), published journals and helped to organise exhibitions. There are no hallmarks on pewter, although some pewter items have a touch mark, applied by a punch and which usually include the names or initials of the maker. Touch marks have no particular value apart from interest and a guide to the maker. A touch mark bears no relation to the quality of the alloy, and does not carry the same authority as the hallmarks used on gold and silver. Knox had a profound and intertwining interest in the natural world and landscape, the spiritual life, and the history and art of the Isle of Man and particularly the early Celtic Christian Church. He described this connection in his illuminated 1913 poem "Renshent", written about an early Celtic Christian keeill (chapel) on the Isle of Man. [29] Sometimes the makers added touch marks resembling silver hallmarks, usually four in number. These faux hall marks were not recognised by The Worshipful Company of Pewterers or supported in law.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. 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]

So when one thinks of collecting Archibald Knox you may want to start by thinking what of his many design or artistic areas you wish to focus on, which in turn may be dictated by budget. Chronology: Archibald Knox 1864-1933". Archived from the original on 25 February 2016 . Retrieved 14 April 2016.Knox’s designs for the Tudric range bridged the major art movements of the early 20 th century. The Arts & Crafts pieces brought in motifs from the Art Nouveau, Celtic Revival and Modernist movements. He combined a strong sense of form and proportion with re-interpreted historic motifs to create stylish pieces that encapsulate the spirit of the era. 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. a b "Archibald Knox". Mannin. 7: 381 et seq. May 1916. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012 – via Isle of Man.