Guild of Handicraft Repousse Hammered Copper Vase With Fishes by John Williams c.1885.
A tall Arts and Crafts repousse hammered copper vase with large applied twin handles and a cylindrical body. It is decorated with four carp-like fish swimming among waterlily pads. The piece is unsigned but can be attributed to influential craftsman JohnWilliams.
A founder member of Charles Robert Ashbee’s Guild of Handicraft established in East London in 1888, Williams was responsible with John Pearson for the guild’s early beaten copper and brass work. He left in 1892 to teach at Hammersmith School of Arts and later worked at the Home Arts and Industries Association and the Fivemiletown Art Metalwork classes in County Tyrone.
The vase is in good overall condition despite the loss of one handle, the parts of which are included for restoration purposes. The piece has a burnished antique colour, with some old residue in the crevices, and there is some wear to the bend in the remaining handle. The overall height is 20 cm (8"), the width is 16 cm (6.25") at the handle, and the vase weighs 1.4 kg.