This group of 18th and 19th century South Staffordshire enamels (lots 100-115, Fine Interiors, 8th November) provides an intimate glimpse into the life and lifestyles of Georgian England, whilst also demonstrating the mechanics of the early Industrial Age.
The demand for enamelled boxes took off in the second half of the 18th century as Georgians needed and adored containers for their accessories and beauty products. Patch boxes, boxes for trinkets and jewellery, boxes for snuff, bonbonières and etuis – all featured colourful pictures and decorations and invariably bon mots or sentimental messages. Snuff taking was at its height in the 18th century and was also favoured by ladies; the tobacco derivative was flavoured and ground into a powder for inhaling, with different essences used for snuff taken at various times of the day. The hinged enamel snuff box became fashionable and was a necessity, it could be held open in one hand, whilst the pinch of snuff was taken with the other. Patches, or beauty spots, were also de rigueur, in black silk or velvet and worn by men and women across all social classes. The interior of the patch box invariably had a mirror to ensure the accurate application of the spot – an important consideration as political allegiances, and other more personal signals, were often revealed by the position of the patch on the face.
Many of the objects in this group are attributed to South Staffordshire, an area lying to the north and west of the West Midlands – the county regarded as the home of the metal trades, its reputation was built on the manufacture of brass, iron, steel and silver. However, metalwork is frequently the starting point for diversification and the town of Bilston, to the south of Wolverhampton, was an established centre for metal working in the early 18th century but was to become closely identified with enamels. Bilston produced many of the same products as other neighbouring towns but by way of differentiation it turned to decorating in enamel. Enamelling was not a new technique, but it underwent a revival at this time and by the mid-1750s coloured enamel powders, ready mixed, were available through suppliers working in Birmingham. The enamelling manufacturing process was transformed by John Brooks, an Irish man who had settled in Birmingham. Whereas previously an artist would have been engaged to hand paint the fired enamelled surface of the object, Brooks founded a method for transfer printing. An engraved design was transferred to paper, which was then applied to the enamel surface. Through firing the design became fused to the enamel and the paper was burnt away in the heat. Enamelled boxes could now be produced in volume and more cheaply and were perfect for 18th century marketing and promotion. Within this collection are boxes marked as ‘trifles’, or souvenirs, from the North Yorkshire coastal resort of Scarborough and the fashionable town of Bath, whereas Barton Bridge decorates a ‘trifle’ from Manchester – the bridge is its three arch form, this structure replaced an earlier crossing demolished in 1745 to stop the advance of the Jacobite army.
A key figure in Bilston’s enamelling business was Dovey Hawksford, he produced toys from around 1720 and added enamelled boxes to his output. On his passing in 1749 many of his apprentices set up their own workshops, and with the collapse of the Battersea enamel factory in 1756, it is likely that skilled workers from here headed to the South Staffordshire area and supplemented the workforce. Given this highly mobile group, it is difficult to identify the work of individuals active in Bilston and other locations. Much of the work could take place within the context of families, and grew no bigger than that, all that was needed was space for a workbench, tools and a muffler furnace for firing. In April 1754 the Swedish industrial spy, Reinhold Angerstein (1718-60), visited the area and reported that, ‘In one farmhouse between Bilston and Wolverhampton there was a factory for making snuff-boxes and other enamelled work, where a large number of women were employed in preparing the enamel, dipping the copper sheets and painting. They were also occupied in firing and tempering the enamel…’. Angerstein was however more interested in industrial production methods – it is alleged that his visit to Sheffield at around the same time was rather short as he was driven out for asking too many detailed questions about the new steel crucible process.
The enamelling business was relatively short lived, from resurgence to ascendancy and then decline was a span of around fifty years, and at the close of the 18th century the trade was failing. Various factors brought about its demise, but chiefly, copper, used to make the objects, had increased in price, as had wages, and exports to the Continent were seriously curtailed by the Napoleonic Wars.
The enamels at auction this November are charming survivors from the Georgian era and testament to the creative feats and adaptability of the Industrial Revolution.
Fine Interiors
Tuesday 8th November 2022 1pm
For all auction enquiries contact Guy Savill or Sally Stratton MRICS | +44 (0)207 281 2790 | info@thepedestal.com
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