Art in Industry

The first book for more than fifty years on Paul Storr (1770 - 1844), said to be the greatest English silversmith of the Regency period, offers a new perspective on how entrepreneurs like Storr combined great art with fine craftsmanship, the latter helped by the latest machines.

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It was a time of great technological innovation, and entrepreneurs like Storr were successful in combining great art with fine craftsmanship, much of the latter helped by the latest machines. The designs were provided by well-known names of the Regency such as John Flaxman, William Theed, Edward Hodges Baily and Thomas Stothard. Paul Storr (1770 - 1844), acknowledged to be the greatest silversmith of the Regency period, holds a special place in the history of English silver. The workshops he directed, first for the Royal Goldsmiths Rundell, Bridge & Rundell, and later on his own account, wrought some of the greatest silver of the first half of the nineteenth century. He numbered among his clients not only British royalty and the aristocracy, but Portuguese dukes, French nobles and prominent Americans. The year 2015 marks the bicentennial of the Battle of Waterloo, which saw Britain emerge as the dominant power in Europe. Military campaigns on land and sea, a more international outlook, newly fashionable foods, changes in table settings, and above all the creation of great wealth for Britain resulted in a revolution in silverware.