A superb copper and wood hearth brush made by the Newton School of Metal Work, circa 1906. 

The brush was designed by George S. Tanner in 1906 and the original design drawing appears in the Newton School archive. The drawing is signed and dated. Tanner produced some incredible designs for the Newton School between 1897 and 1907. Thankfully he signed and dated many of them. The hearth brush is one of my personal favourites by Tanner and I have been hoping to find one in good condition for quite a while. These were designed to be both beautiful and useful and tend to be a bit worse for wear after many years being used as a brush in the home. This one has survived exceptionally well and I suspect it spent many years on display.

The wooden handle has a heart shaped cut out at the top and four copper bands. There are two repousse faces, one smiling and one frowning, on either side of the brush. Even the bristles are in good shape. Tanner designed several faces to be used on these brushes and the condition of this particular brush really shows off the whimsical repousse work. The faces are riveted to the wooden brush.

This brush also appears in a photograph of the Newton School’s exhibition stand at the Home Arts and Industries Association exhibition believed to date to 1913. It demonstrates that this successful design was used by the School for many years