This is a copper relief of a nordic ship by American Arts and Crafts metalsmith Albert Berry. We framed the piece, which is 20-1/2″ x 16″, in a 4″ wide cassetta in quarter sawn white oak with Dark Medieval Oak stain. The round cap moulding and coved sight mould are carved, with a plain mortise and tenon flat between. I’m pleased with how the forms and texture of the frame resonate with the repousse. The architectural construction makes an especially effective window on the historical subject.British born Albert Berry (1878-1949) moved to New England as a child. He studied at RISD and worked as a designer for Tiffany, among others, before migrating to the Pacific northwest in 1904. Settling first in Alaska, he met and married his wife, Erwina, and the couple open their first shop offering, according to Askart.com, “hammered copper wares including desk sets, vases, lamps, and smoking sets that incorporated his interpretation of Pacific Northwest Native Alaskan designs.” In 1918 the couple decamped to Seattle and, with Albert’s brother Wilfred, opened Berry’s Craftshop. Although he died in 1949, the shop survived into the 1970’s.
Available from California Historical Design.
Below are a couple more examples of Albert Berry’s work—a pair of bookends with similar subject matter to our nordic ship repousse, and a picture frame.
Both the artwork and the frame are stunning!! The craftsmanship in each is remarkable and, together. they are truly breathtaking!! Thank you for sharing.