A PAIR OF COPPER REPOUSSÉ SCONCES, CIRCA 1885

Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo founded the Century Guild with his fellow architect and friend, Herbert Percy Horne in 1882. The Century Guild acted as forerunners to the Arts and Crafts movement, with some of the work created by Mackmurdo in particular viewed as early examples of the ‘Modern Style’, a particular British type of Art Nouveau. Much of his work was historically inspired, with references spanning the Italian renaissance to 18th century design motifs. The Century Guild was highly collaborative, and Mackmurdo partnered with fellow guild member William Kellock Brown on many copper pieces, such as the sconces offered here. For another example of this partnership, see the 1884 sconce with woman and bat in the Colchester Museum collection.