颜勤礼碑笔画教学视频:Biography of Paul Storr: The master silversmith

Paul Storr, Master Silversmith (1771 - 1844).

Paul Storr is regarded as one of the greatest craftsmen ever to have worked in silver. His pieces are in private and museum collections around the world; and when Paul Storr silverware becomes available to buy, it generates great interest - and a high price.

Paul's father, Thomas, was a chaser, a skilled tradesman whose job involved the creation of patterns and designs on silverware. Paul followed his father into the metalwork profession, and in 1785 became an apprentice silversmith.

Paul served a seven year contract with Andrew Fogelberg, a well-known Swedish national who had moved to London in 1770. In Fogelberg's workshop, Paul received a thorough grounding in every aspect of the silversmith's art.

After his apprenticeship, Paul teamed up with a colleague, William Frisbee, and together they registered their marks with the Assay Office. Within a further year, Paul felt confident enough to register a mark in his own right.

By 1796, Paul's remarkable skill had made him so successful that he opened a workshop in Air Street, London. His style at this time followed the current neoclassical fashion, although his pieces were often plainer than the work of his contemporaries.

In 1800, the Royal Goldsmiths, Rundell and Bridge (later known as Rundell, Bridge and Rundell) asked Paul to sell most of his work through their exclusive London shop. Paul agreed, and changed his style to match the elaborate forms preferred by Rundell and Bridge's wealthy patrons.

One successful piece followed another, and Paul Storr silverware developed an international reputation. Rundell, Bridge and Rundell acknowledged this, and accepted Paul as a partner in the firm in 1811. In the same year, Paul moved his workshop to premises in Dean Street, London.

Eight years later, Paul left Rundell, Bridge and Rundell and once again became freelance. The move was accompanied by another change in his work, this time to the naturalistic forms of the Rococo, a genre that was experiencing a popular revival.

After three years of independence, Paul went into partnership with another retailer, this time John Mortimer. The firm they created, Storr & Mortimer, sold Paul's work though Mortimer's outlet in Bond Street, London. The partnership survived until 1838 when Paul retired.

Paul Storr's reputation rests on a number of factors. Firstly, there was his skill as a silversmith, and his absolute mastery of technique. Secondly, there was his astonishing attention to detail. This applied not just to design but to the finishing of a piece so that the overall effect was one of distinction and beauty. Finally, there was his understanding of the nature of silver, and his ability to turn the ideas of designers into concepts that perfectly matched the versatility and limitations of the metal.

If the opportunity arises, it is well worth visiting the museums that have examples of Paul Storr's work. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, has two particularly fine and elaborate candelabra from 1835-6 and1838. Other work appears in museum collections in Boston, San Francisco, Cleveland and the United Kingdom.