Christopher Lawrence began his celebrated silversmithing career at an early age, distinguished from other designers for his practice centric rather than art school education.
Having excelled in school metalwork classes his scoutmaster, Norman Vander, took him to see the workshop of C J Vander in London. Lawrence was so enamoured that he was employed there from the age of 15, alongside attending the Central School of Arts of Crafts one day a week and evening classes on another three.
Lawrence was an apprentice under Bill Cassley, a flat work silversmith, where he recalled making a three-foot long salmon dish pushed his skills to the limit. Concurrent to this training were Lawrence’s classes with Reginald Hill at the Central School, where he was inspired to seek out silver design opportunities at C J Vander. Following the completion of his apprenticeship, in 1958 Lawrence secured a role at R E Stone silversmiths, where he added hollow raising and planishing to his repertoire. Even at this young age his work was recognised with the Jacques Cartier Award for a rose bowl designed by Alex Styles. Lawrence went on to receive this award twice more in his lifetime.
After two years with Stone and now a fully-fledged silversmith, Lawrence moved again to the workshop of Gerald Benney, where he was initially tasked with making the silver for Coventry Cathedral. He relished the entirely Contemporary nature of the work here but felt the absence of the designing he so craved. It was in 1968 therefore that Lawrence opened a small workshop in his garden, as well as a design studio and larger workshop later the same year. Successful from the start, Lawrence was awarded numerous commissions and exhibitions both in Europe and closer to home.
So desirable was his work that multiple firms competed for the rights to exhibit and sell it. Lawrence expanded his scope, founding a second company, House of Lawrain, which provided retail and wholesale pieces as well as design services. He also created a range of collectible silver botanical creations. Publicity from exhibitions and awards saw Lawrence attain a global reputation, with clients from the Middle East commissioning opulent items including a six-hundred-piece dinner service and in 1998 a fourteen-foot-high silver gilt cake stand weighing one tonne!
Lawrence worked into the 21st century, a 2008 collaboration with enameller Fred Rich on a bowl and ewer being a particularly celebrated work.
