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Beaten Silver and Enamelled Pendant Necklace
Beaten Silver and Enamelled Pendant Necklace

Beaten Silver and Enamelled Pendant Necklace

Designer (Wolverhampton, England, 1873 - 1921)
Maker (Lancashire, England, 1864 - 1939)
Datec. 1900
Object NameNecklace
Mediumsilver and enamel
ClassificationsJewellery
Dimensions24.5cm length including pendant
3.5cm x 3.5cmsquare pendant
AcquisitionPresented in 2010 by Mrs Guldern Tekvar to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of Aberdeen Art Gallery.
CopyrightOut of copyright - CC0
LocationOn Display - Gallery 14
Object numberABDAG011388
About MeFrances MacDonald was born in 1873 near Wolverhampton and in 1890 moved with her family to Glasgow. In 1892, Frances along with her sister Margaret enrolled in classes at Glasgow School of Art. It was here, through the dynamic head Fra Newbery, that the sisters met Herbert McNair and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. This introduction resulted in the formation of the artistic collective known as 'The Four', who played a pivotal role in the development and international recognition of the Glasgow style. In 1898 Herbert McNair had taken up a teaching post in design at School of Architecture and Applied Art, Liverpool and the following year McNair and Frances married and she moved to join him in Liverpool.

It is believed that this necklace was designed by Frances and possibly made by Richard Llewellyn Rathbone, an established arts and crafts metalworker based in Liverpool. This attribution has been given as the pendant is marked on the reverse with an 'R', a mark which is present on other work by the McNairs.

The necklace demonstrates both stylistic and technical elements that characterise the Glasgow style; the enamel design is based on the round, bordered by the distinctive heart motifs and the chain is interrupted with beaten silver bars. The vibrant orange enamel, perhaps an abstract sun, and beaten silver square framing the central design add a modern quality.

More About Me
Designed by Frances MacDonald, one of the "Glasgow Four" - a classic and unmistakeable Glasgow design from the period.
Exhibitions