Omar Ramsden 1934 Silver & Shagreen Elongated Box
Omar Ramsden 1934 Silver & Shagreen Elongated Box
1934
A silver and shagreen elongated box on bun feet.
Price: £9,750.00
A George V sterling silver and shagreen box with panelling to the exterior and wood lined interior and bun feet, made by Omar Ramsden, London in 1934.
Omar Ramsden
1873-1939
Omar Ramsden (1873-1939) Omar Ramsden was born in Sheffield on 21st August, 1873. Details of his childhood are few, although it is known that he spent seven years in Illinois, USA. On his return to England in 1887, Ramsden was apprenticed to a Sheffield firm of silversmiths where he acquired a certain amount of technical training and experience of mechanized silver production. In 1888 he began a distinguished career at the Sheffield School of Art winning a succession of prizes and awards. It was here that he became aquainted with Alwyn Carr. Ramsden and Carr embarked on a tour of Europe together which lasted between six months and a year. They travelled through Belgium, France, Italy, Switzerland and Germany, on a kind of wanderjahr and on their return established a studio at St. Dunstan’s in Chelsea, London. In 1898 they registered their first mark at Goldsmiths Hall in London embarking on a partnership which would last until 1919. Their work drew influence as much from the medieval period as from the contemporary Art Nouveau period, with great reference to the designs of C.R. Ashbee. The resulting output struck a balance between the traditional and the fashionable. This, combined with Ramsden’s entrepreneurial skills in gaining numerous institutional and ecclesiastical commissions, ensured that the business proved a commercial success. On the dissolution of their partnership, Ramsden retained the St. Dunstans workshop and a staff of twenty.
The business continued to flourish and Ramsden developed a distinctive house style that became heavier and more traditional than the fluid Art Nouveau of previous years. He placed more and more emphasis on the hand wrought appearance with each piece being considered a unique creation, the importance being a bespoke object subtly adapted from a proven design. Ramsden continued working until his death in 1939.