Abigail Brown

Silversmith

Originals for sale and work to commission

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Work also for sale in V&A Shop 10 June to 31 August 2016

Abigail Brown has a life-long interest in ancient monuments in the landscape and of the lichens and moss that grow on them. The stone circle ‘Boscawen-Un’, in Penwith, South West Cornwall near her studio, particularly intrigues her. The name translates as ‘the pasture of the farmstead at the elderberry tree.

Abigail designed this vessel to evoke a monolith – a stone that has stood for generations. She visited the Circle several times to observe, contemplate and document it through photography. She studied the lichen, there and elsewhere.

She sketched vessel shapes that evoked the monolithic form of the stones and then worked directly in silver. Similarly, she worked directly in the metal, to create the ‘lichen’ forms, using numerous techniques and piercing patterns before settling on the final outcome. She made several test pieces to investigate the colour for the enamel.

The vessel was hand raised, planished and then textured using a variety of hammers and a rock from the site in Penwith. The lichen was pierced, hammered, reticulated and fused, before the application and firing of the vitreous enamel. These elements were then riveted to the body of the vessel.

Abigail Brown: ‘Boscawen-Un’ Vessel – Hallmarked Birmingham 2015, Britannia Silver, Sterling Silver, Vitreous Enamel