A RARE EPNS WAITER DESIGNED BY DR CHRISTOPHER DRESSER AND MANUFACTURED BY JAMES DIXON & SONS

A RARE EPNS WAITER DESIGNED BY DR CHRISTOPHER DRESSER AND MANUFACTURED BY JAMES DIXON & SONS, C1879 crested, 31.5cm w, maker's mark, designer's signature and design No 2867Christopher Dresser designed four waiters for James Dixon & Sons all of which appear in the firm's 1879 Calculation Book now in Sheffield Archives (1999/20 add). In addition to the present newly discovered quatrefoil example, the other three were boat shaped, half round or in the form of two overlapping, chamfered rectangles. Writing in 2005, he Dresser scholar Judy Rudoe described them as 'truly astonishing waiters', each of 5lbs of nickel silver, entirely handmade and far more expensive to produce thand Dresser's iconic teapots. They would appear to be just as rare, for Miss Rudoe was not aware of the existence of a surviving example of any of the four having been recorded. James Dixon & Sons made most larger items to order and this would have been especially so in the case of Dresser's designs. One or two would have been made for the firm's London Showroom and it is quite possible that is all, whereas several others, for example a toast rack were available in batches of a dozen.The five Calculation Books from Dixon & Sons' hollowware cover the period 1879-1883. Of the total of 1250 designs, 80 are given to Dresser by name. The cost of each - materials and all the different skills employed - are detailed. The quatrefoil waiter, model 2867, cost £2 1s 11d to produce, including 10s 6d for the metal, 11s for plating and 23s for burnishing. The cost of 'making' was 12s, equating to 12 hours highly skilled specialist handwork. The other three waiters cost similar amounts. By comparison with the very few Dresser items that appear in the firm's Catalogues, it may be assumed the mark up on cost was about 130 per cent.It has not been possible to identify the crest (a demi eagle rising) since it is one of the most widespread in heraldry. The motto AUDI VIDE TACE is usually regarded as a Masonic motto.Judy Rudoe's paper on Dresser, Design and Manufacture Evidence from the Dixon & Sons Calculation Books prepared for the Symposium 'Christopher Dresser: Designer of Genius' held at the Victoria & Albert Museum in October 2004 was published by The Decorative Arts Society, Christopher Dresser in Context, Journal 29, 2005.