with later fabric and patinated metal shade (not illustrated)

John Jesse, London, 1990

The Liberty Style, Metropolitan Teien Museum of Art, Tokyo, June 12-July 25, 1999, followed by a tour to six different museums in Japan through June 2000

The Liberty Style, exh. cat., Japan Art & Culture Association, Tokyo, 1999, p. 122, no. 193 (for the present example illustrated)
Stephen A. Martin, Archibald Knox, London, 2001, p. 180 (for the present example illustrated)

Overall in very good condition. This lamp displays a highly dynamic design, enhanced by complex interlacing within the base, accented by rare diamond shaped hardstones. The stones are slightly greener when viewed in person in comparison to the catalogue illustration. The silver surface presents with a few scattered minute surface scratches and some surface dirt in recessed areas of the design, consistent with age and gentle use. The upper shade rim with very minute dings to the interior, mostly likely where the shade would have rested. The ring surrounding the oil canister of intricate form, with remnants of polish residue. The ring of the oil canister with light wear and rubbing to the silver. The body of the lamp with few minute and isolated indentations at the mid-height, the longest of which measures 1 ¾ in. in length and only visible upon close inspection. The stones remain undisturbed and in very good, original condition. Please note the lamp is sold together with a later shade executed in patinated metal and fabric. Please contact the department for additional photographs showing the base with this later shade. When viewed in person the lamp is absolutely dazzling with a magnificent dynamism in the sinous detailing of the base heightened further by the brilliant inset hardstones. The catalogue photography does not sufficiently capture the true dramatic quality and brilliance of this work. A deeply sculpture and highly detailed masterpiece designed by Knox displaying his truly unique and modern aesthetic.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This silver lamp from 1904 is Knox's most ambitious, complex and largest of a series of wirework chalices or cups that were introduced by Liberty & Co in 1900.  Likely a unique, special commission, it is not illustrated in the Liberty Silver Sketchbook, now held by the Westminster City Archives, that served as pattern book and catalogue from which silver objects could be ordered.  Only a handful of significant Knox designs are unlisted and each of them appears to be unique.

Like Knox, C. R. Ashbee, was also using silver wire in his designs at about this time, most notably in a series of decanters with wirework handles and strapping, an example of which can be found in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.  While both artists used wirework as a structural component, Knox moved well beyond Ashbee by literally drawing with silver wire to achieve a kind of three-dimensional calligraphy.  Nowhere is Knox’s facility with this material and this creative technique more evident than in a magnificent wirework insert for another unique item, an enameled silver rose bowl, that is the largest piece of Knox silver ever executed.  While the beauty of that insert remains hidden within the body of the rose bowl and is not essential to its structure, in this lamp Knox’s wirework calligraphy is an integral part of the design.  Moreover, by way of his interpretation of the entrelac, the iconic Celtic decorative element he so favored, Knox is able to achieve a level of aesthetic inventiveness with wirework that is unmatched by any designer of that period or any other.

The physical requirements of this lamp’s design demanded Knox's most sophisticated engineering. In order to support a fully laden fuel reservoir, armature and quite possibly a glass shade, Knox needed to carefully position the number and location of stems and supporting entwinements.  The successful, and beautiful result is an architectural tour de force that provides the stability and strength to cradle the lamp bowl while enchanting the eye with the sinuous line of the silver wirework.  The stems of the base and the wirework design elements in the armature for the shade are nothing less than the physical incarnation of Knox’s incomparably elegant line.  And, in order to emphasize the verticality of the design, Knox added to the base three large triangularly shaped hard stone cabochons that direct the eye upwards after being drawn down by the lamp’s pointed bowl.

This lamp embodies all of Knox’s design inspirations; its wirework entrelacs reflect his Celtic sensibility; its structural originality display his engineering prowess; the use of wirework links him to Ashbee and other contemporaries and its radical simplicity of form make it exceptionally modern.  Taken as a whole, that so massive an object could project such delicacy is a mark of Knox's genius; that so complex an object could be so beguiling is Knox at his very best.

DR. STEPHEN A. MARTIN