Exquisite Masterworks In Enamel By Iconic British Silversmith, Gerald Benney

"Originally heralded for his works in silver and gold, in 1964 Gerald and his family moved to Beenham House near Reading, enabling him to create an additional studio workshop in the house. It was at Beenham House where Gerald began to produce his signature boxes, and by the 1970s enamels were added to Benney’s boxes and objects.

Enamelling had almost become a lost art by the 1970s, but Gerald persuaded Norwegian enameller, Berger Bergersen, to come to Beenham to teach Gerald and his craftsmen the art of enamelling. Bergersen had learned his enamel craft at Bolin in Stockholm from some of Fabergé’s enamellers after they had fled to Sweden following the Russian Revolution. Through trial and error, Gerald and his team undertook enamelling of the most complicated kind on technically the most demanding surfaces with stupendous results.

The British Royal Family have been major patrons of Gerald Benney, and he held four Royal Warrants in the 1970s and 1980s as Goldsmith and Silversmith to HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, HM The Queen, HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, and HRH the Prince of Wales. His other achievements include Freeman of the Goldsmith's Company; Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths; Royal Designer for Industry and a Professorship at the Royal College of Art. Gerald’s pieces can be found in many important collections including at the Victoria and Albert Museum, The Crafts Council, and the Goldsmiths' Company."#Antique