Key — Framed Keys, C. F. A. Voysey, London, ca.1900
Record status
Individual type · partial
Period
ca.1900
Key — Framed Keys, C. F. A. Voysey, London, ca.1900 is an object recorded by Victoria and Albert Museum, dated ca.1900. The museum's brief description reads: Eight keys, set within an oval frame, brass, steel and bronzed metal, London, ca.1900, possibly made by William Bainbridge Reynolds, designed by C.F.A. Voysey. Museum description: Eight keys, set within an oval frame, brass, steel and bronzed metal The museum record gives material recorded as brass, steel; measurements Height 30.5 cm; Width 22.5 cm; Depth 2.8 cm; place associated: London; maker recorded: C. F. A. Voysey, Bainbridge Reynolds, William. These details come from the holding museum's own record; how far this object represents a wider collectible type has not yet been independently verified.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 1
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Voysey stands out on several counts from most of his fellow architect-designers who joined the Art Workers’ Guild and contributed metalwork to the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society. Instead of setting up his own workshop, he continued the traditional practice of handing over his designs to a trustworthy firm for execution. This encouraged him to ignore the repertory of ornamental techniques used by many metalworkers attached to the Arts and Crafts movement who habitually embellished their productions enamels and semi-precious stones. Of Voysey’s major contemporaries, only W.A.S. Benson favoured a similar simplicity of form and decoration, and Benson, significantly had his own factory in Hammersmith which was filled with the latest machinery. Unlike Benson, however, who increasingly devoted his energies to his metalwork to the exclusion of architecture, Voysey did not design a great deal either for precious or base metals, and when he did so it was usually with his architectural schemes in mind. Some of his finest and most characteristic designs for metalwork are the hinges fitted to furniture and doors.
Physical characteristics
- Material
- brass, steel
- Dimensions
- Height 30.5 cm; Width 22.5 cm; Depth 2.8 cm
Technical characteristics
- Technique
- brass, steel and bronzed metal
- Maker recorded
- C. F. A. Voysey, Bainbridge Reynolds, William
- Place recorded
- London
Identification
- Museum attribution
- C. F. A. Voysey
- Museum object name
- Key
- Museum object number
- M.71-2014
- Museum system number
- O1260205
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Research required: confirm materials, dimensions, maker and wider type against the museum record and a specialist reference.