ARTICLE - ARCHIBALD KNOX
Classed as the driving force behind the Celtic Revival, Archibald Knox was a talented designer whose evocative, fluid creations were way ahead of their years. Creating aesthetically pleasing designs on metalware, textiles, jewellery, carpets and even pottery, Knox took his fascination for ancient Celtic symbols and combined them with fresh, clean, modern shapes, proving that not only was he an accomplished and talented designer, but also one of the leading pioneers of the Art Nouveau movement. Born to William and Anne Knox in Cronkbourne, near Tromode, on the Isle of Man in April 1862, Archibald had three older brothers and two sisters. It was expected of him to join the family business as an engineer, but Knox had other plans; his love for art meant he was rarely seen without his sketchbook in hand. This decision displeased his family, and from an early age Knox was seen as an outsider. He was educated at elementary and A silver, turquoise and mother-of-pearl bowl on stand, the bowl of bullet shape, the shoulder decorated in relief with a stylised foliate band, set with turquoise matrix and mother of pearl cabochons; set in a circular stand on four foliate feet. Sold for £3585 (around $9000) at Bonhams in London. Shown courtesy Bonhams, London. After a short working period with the architectural firm, Knox left the Isle of Man for England and took a post at the Redhill School of Arts in Surrey, but it wasn’t long before he was promoted to Design Master at the larger art school in Kingston. However, it was when Archibald Knox approached the London-based department store Liberty & Co. that his design career really began. As with many freelance designers he first worked on wallpaper and fabric designs for the store, but the company was aware that German metalwork had instant appeal and was selling well, so with this in mind they decided to create their own range. Knox was initially commissioned to design jewellery items, but he soon became involved with designing some of the Cymric silverware range that was launched in 1899. Silver, however, was expensive to produce, so in the early 1900s a hand wrought pewter range named Tudric was introduced as a cheaper alternative. Knox was responsible for numerous designs in this range, which was created on a piece-work basis. Although his name does not appear on any of the items Knox designed for Liberty’s, the heavy Celtic influences of knotwork and interwoven flowers and leaves is enough evidence that these innovative, stylised pieces were designed at the hands of Archibald Knox. Throughout his design career Knox continued to teach. He had moved to Fulham and taken a post teaching at Surry County Council, but decided to return to the Isle of Man. By 1904 Knox decided to return once again to the UK, where he took a teaching post as Head of Fine Arts in Surrey. Over the next couple of years Knox sent hundreds of ideas to Liberty’s for all their ranges, which included silver, pewter, textiles and jewellery. We are aware that that this A selection of Knox works, including a silver and ivory three-piece teaset comprising teapot with hinged cover, milk jug and sugar bowl, all with Celtic knotted tendril decoration and a pot with ivory handle. Shown courtesy Bonhams, London. Even though Knox was prolific in his designs for many years, by 1909 it became apparent that the Celtic style was losing popularity. The final blow came when Liberty’s sold some of Knox’s design ideas to their competitors, James Connell. By 1912, the collaboration between Knox and Liberty’s had come to an end. He had also received criticism for his teaching methods by the South Kensington Examiners, so Knox resigned from the Kingston School of Arts and returned yet again to the Isle of Man, before travelling to Philadelphia, USA to look for work. However, just one year later – having been unsuccessful in his quest - Knox returned and resumed teaching once more in the Isle of Man. With the outbreak of World War I, Knox took employment as a censor at the Aliens’ Detention Camp at Knockaloe before returning to teaching at the Douglas High School in 1920. He is not known to have produced any further designs for domestic sales since leaving Liberty’s, but in his later years was in demand locally as a book illustrator, and had taken to painting watercolour pictures. Sadly in 1933 Archibald Knox suffered heart failure whilst sleeping, and passed away aged 69. A prolific designer who did not receive the recognition he deserved whilst alive, his work was finally celebrated in 1970 with an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London - almost 40 years after his death. A design genius, Archibald Knox could create the most instinctive, innovative designs from any material. His passion for Celtic design was evident in each and every piece he created, and the ability to transfer these ancient symbols to modernist shapes meant that his designs are just as fitting in today’s society as they were at the beginning of the 20th century - confirming his rightful place as one of our most celebrated designers. Further reading: The Designs of Archibald Knox for Liberty & Co., published by Richard Dennis Publications. Please visit www.richarddennispublications.co.uk This information appeared in Issue 24 of Antiques and Collectables for Pleasure & Profit.
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Grammar schools before taking an art course at the
Douglas School of Art. Knox successfully achieved a high qualification in the Principles of Ornamental Design, and in 1889 gained his Art Master’s Certificate. Fascinated by the ancient Celtic and Norse stone crosses which covered
the Isle of Man, Knox decided to work towards an Historic Ornament qualification, choosing Celtic design as his subject matter. His hard work paid off; Knox was awarded as a prize medallist. Not long after, his article on Ancient
Crosses in the Isle of Man appeared in The Builder publication. On leaving his studies, Knox took a position at the architectural offices of M.H. Baillie Scott, and it’s believed that Baillie Scott was eventually responsible for
the designs by Knox being accepted by Liberty’s, as Baillie was himself a freelance designer for the store.
prolific designer had many designs placed into production during
this period, and it’s probably where he gained his title of Celtic Revivalist. Working with all types of metal materials, he enhanced the designs by using enamels, cabochons and mother-of-pearl. The sinuous entwined plants, leaves and
berries were another trademark of Knox’s work, as of course, was the use of Celtic knot motifs.
