A stunning large copper charger made by the Newton School of Metal Work, circa 1900.

I have held on to this piece for a while now as I believe it really belongs in a museum. It is an example of the Newton School of Metal Work at their very best. The charger is made from a heavy gauge of copper and yet the detail in the repousse work is superb. The centre of the charger has a peacock motif and the the edge has a design with hearts and swirls. 

This is a documented piece by the School and it appears in old photographs of their work and their design archive. The design is based on a prize winning design by George S. Tanner, a designer for the School from Godalming. Tanner entered a competition in The Studio periodical under the pseudonym “Sixpence” in 1896, winning first prize for his repousse work dish. It was likely this competition entry that drew the attention of the School’s founder, Harold W. Hurrell, as Tanner went on to design for the School for the next decade. 

The motto and central peacock motif are from the Fordham family from Odsey, Cambridgeshire. Sir Henry George Fordham likely worked alongside Harold W. Hurrell at the Cambridge County Council and I suspect this piece was either gifted to, or commissioned by, the Fordham family., winning