Judith Miller on Stuart Devlin's designs for Viners

Add a polished sparkle to your dinner table with accessories made from stainless steel and gold-plated metal.

Stuart Devlin is one of the most innovative silversmiths and metalworkers of our time, and was awarded the Royal Warrant in 1982. Originally from Australia (born in 1931), and a graduate of a Melbourne art college, he came to the UK to study at the Royal College of Art, and later held a fellowship at Columbia University in the United States. In 1965 Devlin returned to London where he opened his own workshop with the aim of producing inspirational pieces that bucked the trend of popular sleek and austere designs: throughout his career, he is best known for his use of contrast – shiny silver with textured gold.

ABOVE (left-right): Small wine or water goblet, £25-£35; Nut dish or candle holder, £20-£30; Champagne goblet, £15-£20

Among his many commissions for international coins and decorative objects over the decades, Devlin was commissioned by Sheffield cutlery specialist Viners to produce a range of stainless steel tableware in the early 1970s; this followed the success of (among others) Robert Welch’s post-World War II stainless steel designs for Old Hall. Nine steel shapes were produced and finished with gold-plated details, including the iconic spherical ‘violet bowl’ whose mottled and punctured gold top was likely to have been inspired by the 1969 moon landing. The range of tableware – which also included wine and champagne goblets, nut dishes and candle holders – was phased out in 1979. Stuart Devlin, meanwhile, continues to create beautiful objects today but has moved his studio to Littlehampton in West Sussex.

ABOVE: ‘Violet Bowl’ with textured domed top, £40-£50; Tall wine goblet, £25-£35; Candle holder, £20-£30.

FEATURE JUDITH MILLER PHOTOGRAPHS GRAHAM COOLEY COLLECTION
Featured in the December 2010 issue of Period Living

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