Lot 274
ARCHIBALD KNOX (1864-1933) FOR LIBERTY & CO., LONDON
RARE 'CYMRIC' CIGARETTE BOX, 1901
Auction: Design Since 1860 Day Two | Thurs 15th October | Lots 246 to 524
Description
silver, enamel, model 632, stamped to box CYMRIC/ L&CO, hallmarked Birmingham 1901, further hallmarked to cover and plinth base Birmingham 1901, total weight 876g
Dimensions
21.5cm wide, 6.5cm high, 13cm deep
Footnote
Exhibited: Manx Museum, Douglas, Isle of Man Knox: Order & Beauty, 5th April - 1st March 2026
Literature: Martin S. Archibald Knox, Academy 1995, p. 81 illus.
Martin S. Archibald Knox, ArtMedia Press 2001, p. 242 illus.
Manx National Heritage and The Archibald Knox Forum Knox: Order & Beauty, exhibition catalogue 2025, p. 31 where this cigarette box is illustrated.
This rare and extraordinary piece of Cymric silver, again craftsman-made incorporates relatively traditional Celtic and Art Nouveau motifs into its design in enamel and silver. In keeping with the covered cup in this sale, Knox has elevated the design deploying organic forms to raise the box above its base, the sinuous supports elevating it with effortless elegance above an expansive enamel sea.
