Designer: Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868 – 1928)

Item: Cutlery for Jessie Newbery (Serving Set)

Manufactured by: Lino Sabattini (1925 – 2016)

Country of origin: Italy

Year made: 1987.

Materials: Silverplate over brass. 

Dimensions: Fork is ½” high x 10 ¼” long x 1” wide.  Spoon is  ½” high x 10 ¾” long x 2 ¼” wide.  Exterior of Box is 2 ¼” high x 13 ¼” long x 4 ¾” wide.

Condition: Excellent, appears unused. Does have some light scratches from the pieces moving around inside the box and obviously knocking into each other. 

Description: Here is a harder to find set of the important Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh designed flatware for Scottish artist and embroider Jessie Newbery (1864 – 1948).  This cutlery was designed by Mackintosh in 1902, and then later reproduced by Lino Sabatinni from about 1984 to 1989 in very limited quantities. This set was manufactured in 1987, as dated on the insert card (see photo) and engraved as a hallmark on the back of each piece.

Newbery was the wife of Francis Newbery, Mackintosh’s mentor and the Director of the Glasgow School of Art. Newbery was known as one of the Glasgow Girls and designed the iconic Glasgow Rose.  She is also credited with establishing the Glasgow School of Art’s, Department of Embroidery. Francis and Jessie Newbery were good friends of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife Margaret. Between 1900 to 1905 Mackintosh produced a series of designs for cutlery, and small silver objects, both as commissions and as gifts for friends and family.