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Newlyn Copper

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The Young Apprentice, Newlyn Copperworks (1908) by Stanhope Forbes depicts John Drew Mackenzie giving instruction to John Payne Cotton. The painting is on display at Penlee House.[1]

Newlyn Copper was a class of arts and crafts copperware originating in Newlyn in Cornwall.[2] [3][4][5][6][7][8]

History

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In the late 19th century the fishing industry in Cornwall was becoming unreliable as a source of income; bad weather and seasonal fluctuations brought enforced periods of inactivity. It was decided that an alternative means of employment could be gained by training the unemployed fishermen to produce items in copper.

John Drew Mackenzie, an artist who settled at Newlyn was a key figure in setting up the Newlyn Industrial Class, assisted by the benefactor and local Member of Parliament, Thomas Bedford Bolitho, and artists Reginald Dick, T. C. Gotch, Perry Craft and John Pearson. After some early experiments, the class specialised in repoussé copper work and produced a wide range of domestic and decorative items. The school remained active for about thirty years after its establishment in 1890.

Other known artists who produced work in the Newlyn style included: Herbert Dyer, Obed Nicholls, Phillip Hodder, William Pezzack, Tom Batten, John Payne Cotton, John Curnow, John Edgar Laity, George Mildren, Joe Pengelly, William P. Wright and William Tonkin.

The range of objects produced by the class including trays, mirror and photograph frames, chambersticks, plates and chargers, boxes, bowls and coffee pots: designs typically featured fish, ships and other nautical themes.

A permanent collection, representing much of the work of the original Newlyn School, is on view at the Penlee House Gallery and Museum in Penzance. Newlyn Copper is now highly valued by collectors.

The Copper Works Newlyn was re-established by Michael Johnson in 2004.[9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Young Apprentice (Newlyn Copperworks)". Art Fund. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  2. ^ "The Newlyn Industrial Class, Penlee House Artists Gallery and Museum Penzance Cornwall UK". 15 March 2005. Archived from the original on 15 March 2005. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Newlyn Copper". 8 February 2006. Archived from the original on 8 February 2006. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  4. ^ "The Newlyn Industrial Class and Art Industry: A Brief History". Archived from the original on 24 October 2002.
  5. ^ "Untitled Document". Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 5 March 2006.
  6. ^ "Stanley Gibbons Blog - Blogs, News, Guides and Highlights. The ultimate resource for Stamp Collectors". Stanley Gibbons Blog. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  7. ^ "Poikilia Decorative Arts - testlayout7". Archived from the original on 29 June 2007. Retrieved 18 June 2007.
  8. ^ "Newlyn and St Ives artists. Paintings by Forbes, Harvey, Birch, Knight and Tuke". Archived from the original on 22 May 2008. Retrieved 14 June 2009.
  9. ^ "The Copper Works Newlyn". thecopperworksnewlyn.com. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
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Further reading

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  • Berriman, Hazel (1986) Arts and Crafts in Newlyn 1890-1930 Newlyn: Newlyn Orion; Newlyn Art Gallery ISBN 0-9506579-5-6
  • Bennett, Daryl & Pill, Colin Newlyn Copper. Bristol: Sansom & Co. ISBN 978-1-904537-84-7
  • Pill, Colin (2011) Cornish Art Metalwork. Bristol: Sansom & Co. ISBN 978-1-906593-58-2
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