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| GOBLET in the pre-war Arts and Crafts Movement style whom
his tutor at the Brighton College of Art followed. This is the first major piece that Gerald Benney made. Hallmarked Brighton College of Art, London 1950, but made in circa 1947. Height 15cm, weight 190 grams |
| HOT WATER JUG in the Post War modernism style was
made by Gerald Benney in circa 1947 for the wife of the
brother of the bandleader Henry Hall. Hallmarked Brighton
College of Art, London 1949 but made in circa 1947. Height 14.9cm, weight 460 grams |
| CONDIMENT SET in the Scandinavian style comprising, salt
pepper and mustard. It was commissioned by Arthur
Liberty. When delivered to the buyer at Liberty's, it was
rejected on the grounds that he 'didn't like it'. This was a
great blow to Benney's fledgling business. Only a few sets
were made. London 1958/9. Length of mustard 9.5cm Provenance Mustard, Gerald Benney |
| DISH This elongated dish with its Scandinavian influence is
very similar to the one he made for Janet, Gerald Benney's
future wife, which greatly impressed his future father-in-law
as it was 'perfect' despite being handmade by a member of
the young generation. London 1959. Length 21.6 cm, weight 124 grams |
| PLACE SETTING comprising dinner knife and fork; dessert spoon and fork; cheese knife; soup spoon and mustard/salt spoon with triangular bowls to the spoons. London 1959. |
| CASTER that is a very early example of Benney bark effect
texturing. Made from Britannia standard silver, which is
95.84 against sterling's 92.5 per cent silver and is softer, it
is possibly an experimental piece - the texturing is quite
fine. London 1961. Height 23.1cm, weight 544 grams |
| TRAVELLING CASE comprising silver gilt perfume flask; five
boxes; clothes and hair brushes, mirror, comb and manicure
tools in a fitted crocodile skin case. London 1962 Six of these cases were ordered by Michael Behrens, Senior Partner of the Ionian Bank, a merchant bank that stopped trading in 1977. Behrens was a good customer of Benney. The silver has a lightly textured 'hatch' pattern. The case was designed to help ensure that a gentleman was well groomed during a day trip to Paris. |
| CANDELABRA made for Lord Alfred McAlpine. This was the
start of a small series of candelabra with spikes. His
Lordship was so pleased with them that he commissioned
an identical pair in silver gilt for presentation to the V&A.
London 1965. Height 49.5cm, weight 6.5 kilo |
| CREAM JUG A typical Benney hand-raised pouring vessel
textured and polished exterior surfaces with a gilt interior.
The base of this is engraved Michael Behrens. Ralph
Metcalfe 20 May 1896. London 1965. Height 11.2cms, weight 311 grams |
| BOX An 18 carat gold example, the hinged cover set with
10 strips with the texturing going alternatively at an angle
to the left and right, resulting is an optical allusion of a
ridged surface. Benney only made about six gold boxes.
London 1966. Length 12.45cm, weight 562 grams |
| BOX of plain rectangular form with polished sides and base.
The cover with a flush hinge, the top applied with six simulated
textured feather panels. London 1966. Length 17.9cm, all-in weight 684.1 grams |
| This box was purchased in a very sorry state. It was clear that the feather panels had originally been gilded. The surface of the box and its leather interior had not been cared for. The box was restored in the Benney workshops. |
| BOX in 18 carat gold and silver, the hinged cover comprising
13 silver and 12 gold rectangles soldered together like a patchwork
quilt - a feat considering the different melting points of the metals.
London 1966. Length 12.45cm, weight 275 grams |
| BOX in silver and 18 carat gold, the hinged cover with optical
allusion engraving to represent pyramids with a gold sphere at
their apex. As gold and silver melt at different temperatures,
the soldering of the sphere is quite a feat. London 1967. Length 9.65cm, weight 292 grams |
| BOX in 18 carat gold and silver for pencils, the leather lined
interior divided into two sections. The hinged cover with 15
diamond shapes in gold, the texture being horizontal
against a silver vertical textured background. London 1968. Length 29.85cm, weight 814 grams |
| PAPERWEIGHT in the form of an arrowhead set with an 18
carat gold roundel as were all pieces made for Benney's one
man show at the Rutland Gallery. Filled body, leather base.
Unique. Width 8.9cm, all-in weight 325 grams. London 1968. Provenance David McAlpine |
| TUMBLERS with textured sides and a polished rim. The
exteriors lightly gilded and the interiors richly gilded.
London 1968 (4) and 1974 (2). Height 9.5cm, total weight of the six 1057 grams |
| BOX for cigarettes with feathered textured sides, the hinged cover with stand away hinges, the front with an 18 carat gold roundel. This was made for the one-man show at the Rutland Gallery. All items made for the exhibition feature a gold roundel and each piece is unique, albeit all are marked 1/5. London 1969. |
| VASES made as part of the service for ICI's directors' dining
room. Hand-raised and of classical form, they are a particularly
good example of 'Benney's Bark Finnish'. London 1969. Height 17.5cm, weight 1610 grams |
| MILK JUG (large) or WATER JUG (small) is a joy to handle.
Hand-raised, like all pieces of Benney, it is of superb
craftsmanship. London 1969. Height 12.7cms, weight 497.6 grams |
| INGOT PAPERWEIGHT with texturing to two sides, one of
the two plain sides bearing large hallmarks. London 1970. Length 20cm, cross section 1.5cm, weight 492 grams |
| GOBLET with green enamel to a textured surface on the
exterior of the bowl, an ivory enamel stem and gilding to
the bowl interior and foot. Purchased in 1985, this was the
Collection's first Benney acquisition. It is contained in its
original cloth covered fitted case. London 1970. Height 13.2cm |
| BOX in silver, gold and enamel, the hinged cover with 15
gold edged enamel discs set against an ivory background.
This is a very challenging piece of enameling. The thumbpiece
is orange with three concentric gold lines. London 1971. Length 10.4cm, weight 450g Provenance Benney |
| BOX in silver of circular form with a stand away hinge and
gilt interior. Gerald Benney recalls that three boxes were
made for stock. This example has been subsequently
engraved by Theodore Wise with a view of the Ford factory
at Dagenham. London 1971. Diameter 11.4cm, weight 423 grams |
| BOX in silver and 18 carat gold for cigarettes. The hinged cover
comprising 10 strips with the texturing at an angle to the left
and right, resulting in an optical allusion of a ridged surface.
The cover has an 18 carat gold border and thumbpiece.
London 1971. Length 15cm, weight 695 grams |
| TABLE LIGHTER with textured sides and a sea blue enamel
top over a ray type texturing. The actual lighter is a Braun.
London 1972. Height 9cm |
| POCKET LIGHTER HOLDER with textured exterior for a disposable lighter such as a 'Clipper' in its original case. Bears Benney's maker's mark and the base is engraved 'Gerald Benney, London. Sterling Silver'. Presumably made for the US market. Circa 1970. |
| PAPERKNIFE with an enameled handle featuring five gold
edged white circles against an ivory background. Such
enameling tests the craftsman's skills. London 1971. Length 24cm, weight 140 grams |
| CONDIMENT SET comprising an open salt with clear glass
liner and spoon, together with a pepper mill. London 1972. Height of mill, 10.2cm |
| BOX in silver and 18 carat gold with leather interior. The
hinged cover with optical allusion engraving to represent
pyramids with a gold sphere at their apex. Note that the
direction of the engraving differs from the 1967 specimen
in the Collection. London 1972. Length 9.7cm, weight 292 grams |
| BOX of canister form for cigars. the pull-off cover enameled
in translucent dark blue over a finely textured surface.
The enameller is Robert Winter. London 1972. Height 15.5cm, weight 476 grams |
| BOX in silver and enamel, the hinged cover is a hand painted skyscape
by Gerald Benney, who advises that this is one of two experimental
pieces. The other is owned by the family. London 1972. Length 12.7 cm, weight 915 grams Provenance Benney |
| BOX known as 'the stirrup' is a favourite of the Benney
family. The cover is enameled in white, royal blue and
cinnamon, the latter resembling wood. London 1972. Width 10.8cm, weight 633 grams Provenance Benney |
| ASHTRAY of circular form with textured rim. London 1972. Diameter 10.2cm, eight 101 grams Provenance David McAlpine |
| CONDIMENT SET comprising an open salt with blue glass
liner and spoon together with a pepper mill. This is one of
three pairs in the collection. The spoons London 1982, the
salts and mills, London 1973. Height of mill 10.7cm |
| BOX in silver gilt and enamel for cigarettes, the hinged
cover in cinnamon translucent enamel with a white enamel
border with gilt edging. London 1973. Length 14.2cm, weight 1087.5 grams Provenance David McAlpine |
| BOX in silver and enamel with hinged cover in dark green
translucent enamel with a white enamel border with gilt
edging. London 1973. Length 14.2cm, weight 1087.5 grams Provenance David McAlpine |
| BOX in silver and enamel box, the hinged cover in dark
green franslucent enamel with a white enamel border with
gilt edging. London 1973. Length 9.9cm, weight 179 grams |
| BOX A pair of silver gilt, gold, enamel and opal examples.
The red with white border enamel hinged cover with an 18
carat gold star burst set with an opal. Also bears the
maker's mark of Alan A Evans, the enameller. London 1974. Length 12.7cm, weight 273 grams and 276 gramse |
| BOX of canister form for cigarettes the pull-off cover
enameled in white over a plain surface. London 1974. Height 11.5cm, weight 379 grams Provenance Benney |
| CENTREPIECE in silver, silver gilt and enamel. The openwork
cover comprises approximately 100 gilded discs enameled in blue
and white in 3-D effect to resemble bubbles. Although made by
Gerald Benney, the enameling is the work of Robert Winter.
London 1974. Diameter 26cm, weight 2782 grams Provenance Benney |
| BOX of canister form for cigarettes. the pull-off cover
enameled in translucent bronze over a finely textured
surface. London 1974. Height 11.5cm, weight 360 grams |
| BOOKMARK in 9 carat gold, the terminal bearing the arms
of Lord Samuel, the former chairman of Land Securities.
One of six made for his daughters and family. Cased.
London 1974. Length 18cm, weight 45 grams |
| BOX of canister form for cigarettes, the pull-off cover
enameled in translucent oyster over a finely textured
surface. London 1974. Height 11.5cm, weight 348 grams Provenance Benney |
| VASE known as the 'Long'. A good example of hand-raising,
it was acquired at a northern auction with its invoice dated
April 1975. The original retail price, including a very small
bowl and dish used for nuts and bonbons, was £310.
London 1974. Height 25.7cm, weight 559.7 grams |
| TABLE BELL in silver gilt and enamel. The tapered bark
textured handle with polished top, the polished body with
three white enamel bands. A gift from Gerald Benney to a
friend. London 1976. Height 11.5cm, weight 116 grams |
| BOX of circular form with textured sides, the domed pull-off
cover enameled translucent deep red over a finely textured
surface. London 1976. Diameter 9cm, weight 380 grams |
| VASE known as 'Lawson' which is in the form of a thistle
head. This is one of the most difficult forms to have been
hand-raised in the Benney workshops. The design remains
in production. London 1978. Height 16.5cm, weight 715g |
| BOX of circular form, its pull-off cover enameled turquoise
sea blue. The enameller was Alan Alfred Evans. Cased.
London 1979. Diameter 5.5cm, weight 74 grams Provenance William Tallon, former Steward and Page of the Backstairs to the late Queen Mother |
| TOBACCO CANISTER commissioned by the Ionian Bank and
given to the Damson Oil Company. The 18 carat enameled
damson, which rests on an 18 carat gold stalk with gold two
leaves at the side, opens to reveal an articulated 'nodding
donkey'. London 1980. Height 11.9cm. Weight 606 grams |
| The interior of the lid of the canister is inscribed:
IN RECOGNITION OF 50 YEARS SERVICE TO THIS EARTH SPREADING VAST AMMOUNTS OF JOY AND EXCITEMENT AND HAVOCAMONGST HIS FELLOW MEN. I HEREBY ORDER THAT MICHAEL J. K. BELMONT FROM THIS DAY FORWARD SHALL BE FOREVER BE BESTOWED WITH THE TITLE 'HIS EXCELLENCY THE BRIGHT KNIGHT PRINCE OF A FELLOW AND BELOVED FRIEND. BMD 20 FEBRUARY 1980. |
| PAPERWEIGHT made to commemorate the wedding of the
Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer. Around 50 were
made for distribution by the couple to friends and family at
the wedding breakfast. Hallmarked London 1993, made in
1981. Length 9.7cm Provenance Benney |
| COFFEE SERVICE and tray with superb bark effect texturing
that almost looks opaque. All the serving pieces and the
tray are hand-raised and the sugar spoon is hand-wrought.
London 1983. Height of the pot is 24.1cm, total weight 2518 grams |
| BOX for pills, the pull-off cover enameled in a rich sea blue.
London 1989 . Diameter 3.6cm, weight 48 grams Provenance Benney |
| RACING TROPHY for the 1997 Vodaphone Diomed Stakes.
The design recalls Roman obelisks erected at the end of
hippodrome racecourses. It features ebonised mounts and
a blue enameled hexagon at its apex. Cased. London 1997. Height 36.5cm |
