Archibald Knox
Archibald Knox, a prolific designer with a sensitivity to the inherent qualities of materials, created hundreds designs based on early medieval Celtic sources. While the earlier interlacing designs tend to be somewhat rigid, Knox's versions, in their energy and elasticity, respond to the Art Nouveau emphasis on the process of growth. His metalwork designs were often created in pewter, making them at once more affordable and more rustic than a similar piece in silver. The use of cabochons added a sumptuous touch of medieval court life. Knox's ceramics tend to be monumental in size and intended for outdoor use. Like his metalware, his ceramics are ornamented with complex interlace patterns in relief.
Archibald Knox, the fifth child of William and Ann Knox, was born in the village of Cronkbourne, near Tromode, on the Isle of Man. When he was a child of six, his father established a successful engineering company and was later involved in converting the Island's fishing fleet to the use of steam power. The Knox firm also pioneered the use of electric lighting for industrial purposes in the Isle of Man.
The only member of the family with artistic inclinations, young Archie enrolled at the newly opened Douglas School of Art in 1880 and from there took advanced training in art. He became a teacher and through his scholarly associations became a prominent member of the Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society.
After working locally as a designer of tombstones and perhaps other items, he moved to London to take up a teaching post at Redhill School of Art in Surrey. He became involved with the studios of Christopher Dresser, the distinguished designer of silverware, ceramics and glass. Knox began designing for Liberty of London, designing jewelery and silverware in Liberty's Cymric line. In 1900 Knox returned to the Isle of Man, where he remained for four years. While there, he designed items on a piecework basis for Liberty's newly introduced Tudric series of pewter ware. As per Liberty's practice, the name of Archibald Knox does not appear on any of the objects that he designed for the Liberty, nor does it appear in the Liberty catalogues of the time.
Knox returned to London in 1904 to take up several teaching positions. In 1911 he and several former pupils founded the Knox Guild of Craft and Designs (in existence until 1939). He spent the following year in the U.S., designing carpets for Bromley & Co. In 1913 he returned to the Isle of Man permanently. There, he resumed teaching , painting in water colors, and (after 1918) designing war memorials . He continued teaching both full and part time at schools in Douglas until his death from heart failure, in 1933.
