Exquisite designs by pioneering 20th-century British silversmiths are among the highlights of Hansons Auctioneers’ upcoming fine art auction on April 2.
Leading the sale, with a guide price of £6,000-£8,000 is a silver centrepiece dated 1967 by Gerald Benney (1930-2008).
Benney was among a new generation of convention-defying designers who reinvented British silver design in the 1950s and ‘60s ushering in a post-war ‘golden age’.
Another prominent designer from the same movement is the Australian-born maker Stuart Devlin who died in 2018. His work is represented in the sale with a majestic 12-branch candelabrum, with a guide price of £5,000-£7,000.
Hansons Auctioneers’ silver specialist, Daniel Armstrong, said: “From the medieval to the rococo, British silver makers have produced exquisite work, and these exceptional pieces, created by the leading makers of the mid 20th century, follow in the same rich tradition.
“In today’s market it’s a wonderful reminder that silver and gold are worth far more than their bullion price. When pieces are this good, we can expect them to fly at auction.”
In the 1950s both Benney and Devlin were disenchanted by both traditional British silver styles and the prevailing fashion for Scandinavian modernism.
Daniel Armstrong continued: “They wanted to shake things up, setting themselves up in studios as designer silversmiths.”
For Benney another step change took place in 1961 when texturing becoming one of his trademark features.
Daniel said: “It was quite accidental. While hand-raising the bowl of a goblet he inadvertently used a hammer with a damaged head. Alter half a dozen blows, what should have been a smooth surface had a bark-effect pattern imposed on the silver.”
Together Benney and Devlin, along with makers like Robert Welch (1929-2000) and David Mellor (1930-2009,) put London at the centre of a new designer-led silver industry.
Their work attracted a new generation of wealthy clients, eager for something different, including the fashionable and forward-thinking Princess Margaret.
Benney became the first British craftsperson to hold four royal warrants at the same time, receiving the first aged 44.
Devlin trained as an art teacher in his native Australia before studying gold and silversmithing in Melbourne.
At the age of 32, during a visit to London to supervise the cutting of dies for the new Australian decimal which he had designed, the seeds were sown for establishing himself as a silversmith in the capital.
Daniel Armstrong said: “Devlin experimented with new techniques incorporating them with old methods to produce different textures and forms.
He juxtaposed elegant forms with intricate silver-gilt textured decoration using different methods, including an acetylene torch, to achieve filigree forms.”
In 1967 Elizabeth Taylor commissioned him to design a cocktail shaker for Richard Burton which was famously returned some years later for repairs due to a “domestic incident.” In 1982 Devlin was also granted a royal warrant.
Another contemporary of Benney and Devlin, John Donald (1928 -2023) – one of the trailblazers of contemporary British jewellery – is also represented in the sale, with an 18ct gold tourmaline and diamond ring, with a guide price of £2,000-£3,000.
Like Benney and Devlin, Donald counted Princess Margaret among his clients with 13 pieces of work commissioned by princess auctioned by Christie’s in 2006.
Hansons Auctioneers’ jewellery specialist, Helen Smith, said: “Donald’s work challenged conventional jewellery. Using different techniques and materials, his creations were free from constraint.
“His designs, which were both geometric in motif and organic in texture, can be seen in the crown ring in this month’s sale, crafted from 18ct gold, green tourmaline and diamonds.
“The ‘crown’ or ‘drum’ mount becoming a signature of Donald’s work, capturing 20th-century ideals of glamour and modernity.”
Another maker represented in the sale is Brett Payne – a leading contemporary British silversmith based in Sheffield. An expert in the field for 40 years, Payne’s career started after graduating from Sheffield Hallam University in the 1980s.
A combined silver posy vase, tealight holder and candle holder, has an estimate of £3,000-£4,000.
Daniel Armstrong concluded: “Many collectors ignore modern and contemporary silver, but with a growing market and new admirers, the best work from the 1960s and 1970s is becoming more popular, as indeed is the work of contemporary makers.”
Auction Details
Auction: The Derbyshire Spring Fine Art Auction to include: A single owner collection of works by John Hardman & Co.
Auction date: 2nd April 2026 | 10am
Location: Hansons’ Derbyshire Saleroom
Auction contact: [email protected]
Catalogue/bidding: www.hansonslive.co.uk | www.the-saleroom.com
