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Lot Essay
Born in Hull in 1930, Adrian Gerald Sallis Benney started his artistic training at Brighton College of Art in 1946 where he was taught silversmithing by Dunstan Pruden. Following military service from 1948 to 1950, Benney proceeded to the Royal College of Art (RCA) where he studied silversmithing under Professor Robert Goodden.
He initially embraced Pruden’s Arts and Crafts style but was also greatly influenced by the Scandinavian movement. During the 1950s he developed a range of minimalist domestic silver with clean simple lines. He started to receive numerous commissions from both private patrons and institutions during the 1950s. In the 1960s, by accident using a hammer with a damaged head, he developed a new pattern known today as the ‘Benney Bark Finish’. This textured silver greatly appealed to the public and remained an integral part of Benney’s repertoire.
He initially embraced Pruden’s Arts and Crafts style but was also greatly influenced by the Scandinavian movement. During the 1950s he developed a range of minimalist domestic silver with clean simple lines. He started to receive numerous commissions from both private patrons and institutions during the 1950s. In the 1960s, by accident using a hammer with a damaged head, he developed a new pattern known today as the ‘Benney Bark Finish’. This textured silver greatly appealed to the public and remained an integral part of Benney’s repertoire.