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John Paul Cooper, a leading figure in the British Arts and Crafts movement, was an architect, designer, and metalsmith. He apprenticed to London architect John D. Sedding, a strong proponent of the ideas of art critic John Ruskin, and Henry Wilson, an architect with interests in craft, especially metalwork and jewelry. Cooper joined the "Birmingham Group" and served as head of the Metalwork Department of the Birmingham Municipal Art School (1901–1906). Inspired by medieval and Celtic designs, this airy and graceful jewel conveys a sense of refined opulence. Cooper worked his designs from a selection of stones, rather than creating a design and then finding suitable gems. He commented that stones should “play on one another as two notes of music." Cooper’s chief craftsman, Lorenzo Colarosi, spent 273 hours making this brooch. Copper employed others to fabricate his jewelry designs, although he sometimes did the chasing and repoussé, seen in the leaves and tendrils in this brooch.
Brooch
John Paul Cooper (English, 1869–1933)
English
Arts and Crafts
1908
Medium/Technique
Gold (15 kt), Abalone, tourmaline, moonstone, pearl, amethyst, and chrysoprase
Dimensions
Height x width x depth: 14 x 9.6 x 0.8 cm (5 1/2 x 3 3/4 x 5/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Susan B. Kaplan
Accession Number2008.264
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsJewelry / Adornment – Brooches
John Paul Cooper, a leading figure in the British Arts and Crafts movement, was an architect, designer, and metalsmith. He apprenticed to London architect John D. Sedding, a strong proponent of the ideas of art critic John Ruskin, and Henry Wilson, an architect with interests in craft, especially metalwork and jewelry. Cooper joined the "Birmingham Group" and served as head of the Metalwork Department of the Birmingham Municipal Art School (1901–1906). Inspired by medieval and Celtic designs, this airy and graceful jewel conveys a sense of refined opulence. Cooper worked his designs from a selection of stones, rather than creating a design and then finding suitable gems. He commented that stones should “play on one another as two notes of music." Cooper’s chief craftsman, Lorenzo Colarosi, spent 273 hours making this brooch. Copper employed others to fabricate his jewelry designs, although he sometimes did the chasing and repoussé, seen in the leaves and tendrils in this brooch.
DescriptionJohn Paul Cooper, a leading figure in the British Arts and Crafts movement, was an architect, designer, and metalsmith. Born into an affluent Leicester family, Cooper prepared for a career as a writer but was discouraged from pursuing this endeavor by his industrialist father. Instead, he apprenticed to London architect John D. Sedding, a strong proponent of the ideas of John Ruskin and Henry Wilson, an architect with interests in craft, especially metalwork and jewelry. Afterwards, Cooper joined the "Birmingham Group" and served as head of the Metalwork Department of the Birmingham Municipal Art School (1901–1906). He exhibited regularly at the Arts and Crafts Society exhibitions and completed several important public commissions, including two crosses and a pair of altar vases for Birmingham Cathedral. Additionally, his work often appeared in article published in Studio and Art Journal.
Cooper's interest in jewelry design and fabrication began shortly after his association with Wilson. Like Wilson, he eventually employed others to fabricate his jewelry designs although he sometimes did the chasing and repoussé work himself. The jewelry was crafted primarily in 15 kt gold, utilizing semi-precious cabochons (domed, unfaceted stones) and mother-of-pearl. Unlike many Arts and Crafts jewelry designers, Cooper often worked his designs from a selection of stones, rather than creating a design and then finding suitable gems. He once commented that stones should "…play on one another as two notes of music..."
In addition to jewelry, Cooper's workshop designed and fabricated ecclesiastical objects and various decorative arts, including hollowware and frames. Many of the objects incorporate unusual materials, such as coconut shell, ostrich-egg shell, and narwhal tusk. At the beginning of his career, he often used gesso and plaster modeling to decorate surfaces and, at the end of the 1890s, he began making wooden boxes which he covered with shagreen, a decorative veneer made from the skin of certain sharks and rays.
This brooch is a major work by Cooper. Created during a period when the artist relied less on chased representational imagery and more on stones, the ornament conveys a sense of refined opulence. Inspired by medieval and Celtic design, the brooch is both airy and graceful. The goldwork is decorated with finely chased leaves and tendrils and the bezel-set stones include ruby, pearl, moonstone, amethyst, and chrysoprase. It took 273 hours to produce the brooch and Lorenzo Colarosi, Cooper's chief craftsman, was the primary fabricator. It's possible that Cooper did the chasework.
The drawing for the brooch, which is dated 3 December 1908, can be found in Stockbook I, p. 81 in the Cooper Family Archives. Cooper entitled the piece Big double gold brooch.
Cooper's interest in jewelry design and fabrication began shortly after his association with Wilson. Like Wilson, he eventually employed others to fabricate his jewelry designs although he sometimes did the chasing and repoussé work himself. The jewelry was crafted primarily in 15 kt gold, utilizing semi-precious cabochons (domed, unfaceted stones) and mother-of-pearl. Unlike many Arts and Crafts jewelry designers, Cooper often worked his designs from a selection of stones, rather than creating a design and then finding suitable gems. He once commented that stones should "…play on one another as two notes of music..."
In addition to jewelry, Cooper's workshop designed and fabricated ecclesiastical objects and various decorative arts, including hollowware and frames. Many of the objects incorporate unusual materials, such as coconut shell, ostrich-egg shell, and narwhal tusk. At the beginning of his career, he often used gesso and plaster modeling to decorate surfaces and, at the end of the 1890s, he began making wooden boxes which he covered with shagreen, a decorative veneer made from the skin of certain sharks and rays.
This brooch is a major work by Cooper. Created during a period when the artist relied less on chased representational imagery and more on stones, the ornament conveys a sense of refined opulence. Inspired by medieval and Celtic design, the brooch is both airy and graceful. The goldwork is decorated with finely chased leaves and tendrils and the bezel-set stones include ruby, pearl, moonstone, amethyst, and chrysoprase. It took 273 hours to produce the brooch and Lorenzo Colarosi, Cooper's chief craftsman, was the primary fabricator. It's possible that Cooper did the chasework.
The drawing for the brooch, which is dated 3 December 1908, can be found in Stockbook I, p. 81 in the Cooper Family Archives. Cooper entitled the piece Big double gold brooch.
Marks
unmarked
Provenance2006, collection of John Jesse, London; 2006, sold by Jesse to Tadema Gallery, London; 2006, sold by Tadema Gallery to Susan B. Kaplan; 2008, gift of Susan B. Kaplan to MFA. (Accession Date: June 25, 2008)