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Robert Stone (silversmith)
Encyclopedia
Robert Edgar Stone was an English
silversmith
who worked in the mid-20th century and was noted for hand-crafted commissions.
Stone was born in 1903 in London
, son of a carpenter, Arthur Stone, and Ada, née Scantlebury. A childhood accident that nearly resulted in the loss of his arm affected his education, limiting the possible trades he could enter, and at 14 he began training in the silversmithing department of London's Central School of Arts and Crafts.
His work at the School resulted in a two-year travelling scholarship from the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths
, under which he travelled throughout western Europe and trained in Paris
at La Maison Hénin. Stone established a workshop, in time took on apprentices, and in 1939 was made a liveryman of the Goldsmiths Company.
Stone's workshop produced works primarily of sterling silver
. It was closed for the duration of World War II
, during which he worked on torpedo
testing in Scotland
. He resumed work in London after the war, continuing to train apprentices and produce works at his workshop at 20 Garrick Street, where by 1955 he had trained seven apprentices. He continued to work at Garrick Street until 1964. He later operated from a workshop in his home at Portincaple
, on the west coast of Scotland, until 1980. Stone died in 1990.
Stone's works were distinguished by being hand crafted throughout his career, during an era of increasing mass production of goods such as silverware. He was responsible for a number of major commissions, including a cross and candlesticks for the Temple Church
, London; an altar cross for the Wren Chapel, Pembroke College, Cambridge
; and a rosebowl made from palladium
, a rarely-used precious metal, prepared for the Institute of Metallurgy as a gift to HRH Princess Margaret.
Stone featured in a book by Australian businessman and collector Aubrey H L Gibson
, who in The Rosebowl describes Gibson's visit to Stone's workshop where he learns some basics of silversmithing, and the creation by Stone of a rosebowl commissioned by Gibson.
Stone married Dorothy Rae in 1929 and had two daughters, Jean (also a silversmith) and Christine (a painter). His papers are archived at the Victoria & Albert Museum Archive of Art and Design.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
silversmith
Silversmith
A silversmith is a craftsperson who makes objects from silver or gold. The terms 'silversmith' and 'goldsmith' are not synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product varies greatly as does the scale of objects created.Silversmithing is the...
who worked in the mid-20th century and was noted for hand-crafted commissions.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, son of a carpenter, Arthur Stone, and Ada, née Scantlebury. A childhood accident that nearly resulted in the loss of his arm affected his education, limiting the possible trades he could enter, and at 14 he began training in the silversmithing department of London's Central School of Arts and Crafts.
His work at the School resulted in a two-year travelling scholarship from the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths
Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths
The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Company, which has origins in the twelfth century, received a Royal Charter in 1327. It ranks fifth in the order of precedence of Livery Companies. Its motto is Justitia Virtutum Regina, Latin for Justice...
, under which he travelled throughout western Europe and trained in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
at La Maison Hénin. Stone established a workshop, in time took on apprentices, and in 1939 was made a liveryman of the Goldsmiths Company.
Stone's workshop produced works primarily of sterling silver
Sterling silver
Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by mass of silver and 7.5% by mass of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925....
. It was closed for the duration of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, during which he worked on torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
testing in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He resumed work in London after the war, continuing to train apprentices and produce works at his workshop at 20 Garrick Street, where by 1955 he had trained seven apprentices. He continued to work at Garrick Street until 1964. He later operated from a workshop in his home at Portincaple
Portincaple
Portincaple is a hamlet in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.For thirty years until his death in 1942, Portincaple was the home of Scottish artist James Kay.-References:...
, on the west coast of Scotland, until 1980. Stone died in 1990.
Stone's works were distinguished by being hand crafted throughout his career, during an era of increasing mass production of goods such as silverware. He was responsible for a number of major commissions, including a cross and candlesticks for the Temple Church
Temple Church
The Temple Church is a late-12th-century church in London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built for and by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. In modern times, two Inns of Court both use the church. It is famous for its effigy tombs and for being a round church...
, London; an altar cross for the Wren Chapel, Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
; and a rosebowl made from palladium
Palladium
Palladium is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pd and an atomic number of 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself named after the epithet of the Greek goddess Athena, acquired...
, a rarely-used precious metal, prepared for the Institute of Metallurgy as a gift to HRH Princess Margaret.
Stone featured in a book by Australian businessman and collector Aubrey H L Gibson
Aubrey Gibson
Aubrey Hickes Lawson Gibson was an Australian businessman, arts patron and art collector. Born and educated in Melbourne, Gibson became a successful businessman in the city, establishing his own company, A.H. Gibson Industries, which was listed on the stock exchange in the 1950s...
, who in The Rosebowl describes Gibson's visit to Stone's workshop where he learns some basics of silversmithing, and the creation by Stone of a rosebowl commissioned by Gibson.
Stone married Dorothy Rae in 1929 and had two daughters, Jean (also a silversmith) and Christine (a painter). His papers are archived at the Victoria & Albert Museum Archive of Art and Design.