Four silver Spoons by John Phillips Steele.
John Phillips Steele.
A set of four small Spoons with twisted stems and stylised flower finials, London 1947.
Born in Wolstanton, Staffordshire in 1866, the son of an engraver, Steele turned to metalworking late in life. After attending Wedgwood Memorial Institute, Burslem and Tunstall School of Science and Art, he worked for many years as an engraver in the potteries in Stoke on Trent.
He registered his mark with the Goldsmiths’ Company in London in 1930. Between 1936 and 1940 he exhibited numerous pieces with the Society of Staffordshire Artists. In 1936, for example, his exhibits included a ‘Brass Tea Tray’, four copper bowls, a ‘Copper Vessel, a ‘Pair of Silver Vases’, a ‘Silver Birthday Cup’ and a ‘Silver Honey Spoon’. He had moved to Welwyn Garden City by 1933, living in Bridge street, and became a member of the Welwyn Craftworkers Guild when it was formed in 1945. He died in Welwyn in 1948.
[for details of his exhibits see: ‘John Phillips Steele’, Mapping the Practice and Profession of Sculpture in Britain and Ireland 1851-1951, University of Glasgow History of Art and HATII, online database 2011. http://sculpture.gla.ac.uk/view/person.php?id=msib4_1219313314]
Description
Condition:
Good with minor surface marking.
Dimensions:
Length – 10.80 cm.; Width – 2.60 cm.; Weight [of the four] – 56.90 gms.
