H.G. Murphy: Unfairly Overlooked?

H.G Murphy was born Henry George Murphy in Kent in 1884. He was apprenticed to Henry Wilson by the age of 15 in 1899. He was teaching at the Royal College of Art by 1906 before moving to the Central School of Arts and Crafts.

 

In 1912 he opened a workshop in London after a short-lived stint working as a foreman in Berlin whilst living with Bernard Instone. He was still associated with Henry Wilson at this point. During the First World War he was on duty with the Royal Navy Air Service.

 

 

In 1928 he opened his Falcon Studio. At the Studio, he not only ran a workshop but a retail outlet too. He was incredibly prolific in the Falcon era. Consequently producing vast swathes of silverware and jewellery. His designs were noted for their innovation, and he was influenced by a series of different movements including the Jazz Age as well as architecture and nature.

 

In 1932, H G Murphy was made Head of Silversmithing at the CSAC before being made principle in 1936. During his lifetime, he was one of the most significant craftsmen in the country. Especially  with his work being synonymous with the Art Deco and Arts and Crafts movements of the period. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1939 at the height of his powers yet at a relative untimely age. He was also one of the first figures to ever be nominated Royal Designer for Industry.

 

 

Although the artistic post-war trends of the early 1950s would make his work seem outdated, his work would soon become highly sought after in the decades after Modernism. Murphy was noted for his Church and domestic silver as well as his enamels and gem-set jewellery.

 

He has unfortunately been overlooked over recent years despite being one of the leading craftsmen of the 1920s and 1930s, making him something of a cult figure in the worlds of gold and silversmithery.

 

Nonetheless, a handful of books and exhibitions have been created in order to showcase his work and to introduce it to new generations. Some of these exhibitions have taken place at the iconic Goldsmith’s Hall. Despite the fact that his work has largely failed to attract the recognition that it deserves. To those that have discovered it, he remains a key influence.

 

The book ‘The Jewellery & Silver of H G Murphy Arts and Crafts to Art Deco’ by Paul Atterbury and John Benjamin is seen as the most notable. A detailed source for anyone hoping to find out more about H.G. Murphy and his work. Various examples of his work can be found online.