Sunday, January 15, 2012

Unfolding Pictures: A Brass and Copper Fire Screen, 1884

The Victoria & Albert Museum


This handsome brass and copper fire-screen is one of the earliest known registered designs of William Arthur Smith Benson (1858-1924), an inventor and creator of lamps and home furnishings. This intricate copper pattern is drawn from some of his earlier designs.

Benson was a great fan of the designer and writer William Morris. Morris inspired him to set up a metalwork shop in 1880 which led to a factory in Hammersmith, west London, and a shop in Bond Street. The firm survived Benson's 1920 retirement.

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