A large copper wall sconce designed by George S. Tanner and made by Albert Prime at the Newton School of Metal Work in 1902.

This stunning piece is not at all what I expected from the Newton School. It is clearly based on the design of a Newlyn School sconce by J. D. Mackenzie. The Newlyn sconce was influenced by the Earth, Air, Fire and Water panels designed for the Newlyn Art Gallery by MacKenzie in 1895. An image of the Newlyn sconce can be found here..

This piece is fully marked to the back. It was designed by George. S. Tanner who was a London based designer in the Arts and Crafts style. He was very active in the 1890s and achieved significant success in The Studio design competitions under the pseudonym of “sixpence”. 

The maker was Albert Prime. Albert was a farm worker who began attending the night metalworking classes in the 1890s. Within 10 years he had become a full time tutor at the school and he continued to produce metalwork in Newton until around 1940. The repousse work on this sconce is excellent and a testimony to the skill of the craftsman. 

You won’t find many better Arts and Crafts wall sconces.