Silversmithing – The Meeting of Art and Function
Three pieces of designer contemporary silver coming up at aucton
Silversmithing in the United Kingdom represents one of the longest continuous craft traditions in Europe, and today’s makers operate within a tradition that spans more than a millennium. Our 9th June Century 20/21 Design auction includes three pieces by contemporary British silversmiths which perfectly demonstrate how historical techniques and cultural symbolism continue to influence design - proving that silver remains a living material rather than merely a historical artefact.
St Dunstan and the Medieval Roots of the Craft
The symbolic beginning of English silversmithing is often associated with Dunstan. A tenth-century monk, scholar and craftsman, Dunstan was known to practise metalworking during his time at Glastonbury, producing ecclesiastical metalwork alongside manuscripts and music. His reputation as a skilled artisan led to his later veneration as the patron saint of English goldsmiths and silversmiths.
During the medieval period, precious metalwork became closely associated with the Church. Chalices, reliquaries and altar vessels required sophisticated techniques such as engraving, casting and enamelling. These works were not only sacred objects but also demonstrations of technical skill and artistic expression.
By the twelfth century, organised craft communities had begun to emerge in London. The guild of goldsmiths (who worked in gold and silver) was already established by 1179 and later received a royal charter in 1327. This organisation evolved into the historic guild now known as the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, which became responsible for regulating the craft. Guild regulation helped establish silver as both a luxury material and a reliable standard of quality. Because silver was valuable and technically demanding to work with, silversmithing was considered one of the most prestigious artisanal trades. The Company ensured quality through hallmarking - a system that began formally in the early fourteenth century and continues today through UK assay offices.
From the late medieval period onwards, silver objects served multiple roles: Ecclesiastical plate, domestic silverware, ceremonial objects and personal items – snuff boxes, caddy spoons and decorative objects
These items were not purely decorative; they were designed for use. The idea that silver should combine beauty and functionality became a defining feature of the silversmithing tradition.
Craft meets Industry
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the Industrial Revolution reshaped silversmithing. Birmingham and Sheffield emerged as major manufacturing centres, introducing mechanised processes that allowed silverware to reach a broader middle-class market.
Yet even as mass production grew, a parallel tradition of hand-crafted silver remained. This studio-based approach would become the foundation for modern silversmithing in Britain. The twentieth century witnessed a dramatic shift in the role of silver. As domestic service declined and tastes changed, silver tableware ceased to be the universal symbol of status it had been in Victorian Britain.
However, the craft itself did not disappear. Instead, it evolved.
The Studio Movement
Designers influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement and later modernist aesthetics emphasised craftsmanship, material honesty and individual expression. By the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, Britain had become internationally recognised as a centre for contemporary silversmithing. Contemporary makers continue to employ centuries-old techniques; their methods have changed little since medieval workshops, yet the aesthetic intentions behind them have evolved dramatically. Although the number of practising silversmiths in Britain has declined since its industrial peak, the craft remains vibrant.
From the forge of Dunstan to the contemporary studio workshop, silversmithing in the United Kingdom has continually reinvented itself. It remains a craft defined by the dialogue between history and innovation, art and function, material and maker—a conversation that has been unfolding for more than a thousand years.
The work of artists such as James Dougall, Graham Leishman Stewart and Tamar de Vries Winter demonstrates that British silver is not merely a historical legacy but an evolving artistic language.
James Dougall
Silversmith and jeweller James Dougall is a multi-award-winner and Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths and has exhibited work in the V&A London and Goldsmiths Hall amongst many others. These shagreen-clad pill boxes are a signature part of Dougall's portfolio.
After training under prominent designers Andreas Fabian and Elizabeth Callinicos, Dougall developed a design language centred on form, usability and material contrast.
His work often combines silver with unconventional materials such as shagreen, reinterpreting traditional decorative techniques in contemporary forms. Objects like caddy spoons and boxes exemplify the intersection of sculpture and utility: small objects intended for daily use yet crafted with the precision and aesthetic consideration of fine art.
Graham Leishman Stewart
Graham Leishman Stewart (1955-2020) was one of Scotland's leading silversmiths. His many commissions included the 'Three Honours of Scotland' sculpture in the main hall of the Scottish Parliament. This large abstract work displays the Crown, Sword and Sceptre in flowing interlocked form, representing the original three honours which were once displayed during meetings of the pre-1707 Scottish Parliament and are now on display at Edinburgh Castle.
Other works by Stewart are held in collections including The Pearson Silver Collection, The British Embassy Washington DC, The City of Birmingham Art Gallery, Aberdeen Art Gallery and The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, London.
His work is distinctive for its lyrical qualities. Stewart frequently engraved poetry and text directly onto vessels, bowls and presentation pieces, drawing inspiration from Celtic spirituality, literature and the natural world.
We have three further pieces by Stewart consigned into our 12th May Jewellery & Watches auction.
Tamar de Vries Winter
Tamar de Vries Winter was born in Jerusalem to an immigrant family before moving to the UK and training as a jeweller designer. She is a full member of the Contemporary British Silversmiths society and has received commissions from the V&A London and the Contemporary Craft Committee of the Goldsmiths Company, amongst others. De Vries Winter's work is held in public collections in the V&A, The National Museum of Scotland, Jewish Museum of London, and the Vilnius Goldsmiths and Enamel Museum of Lithuania.
Her objects demonstrate how modern silversmiths often blur the boundaries between jewellery, sculpture and functional artefact, expanding the possibilities of the medium without abandoning its historical roots.
These three items will be included in our 9th June Century 20/21 Design auction alongside a strong selection of modern design pieces. Entries for additional consignments are welcome until mid-May. If you are considering selling any modern and contemporary works of art and design, please contact our offices for advice and valuations.
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