Penrose Antiques

Description

We have for sale a very decorative arts and craft bowl manufactured by the Dryad Metal Works of Leicester some time around 1912.

This attractive copper planished bowl is of a truncated conical form and is decorated to the interior with a star. The bowl is finished with a rope twist rim and the underside of the base is marked with the makers mark DRYAD for the Dryad Metal Works of Leicester.

The bowl is 6.5 inches (16cm) in diameter and is in an excellent antique condition.

History of the Dryad Metal Works
The Dryad Works for Handicrafts was established as a manufacturer of cane furniture in 1907 by Harry Hardy Peach (1874 – 1936), he then established the Dryad Metal Works in 1912 and Dryad Handicrafts 1918. The later company was set up to supply cane and other craft materials for use in occupational therapy and schools. By 1936 Dryad Handicraft was the largest supplier of handicrafts in the world. Harry Hardy Peach was a very significant individual in Leicester, he was a founder member of the Design and Industries Association, the founder of Leicester University and strongly believed that individual flair could be complimented by the efficiency of industry. Saying that, he can be considered as an early conservationist, he was a campaigner for the Council of the Preservation of Rural England and the Ramblers Association. For further information about Harry Hardy Peach see ‘Harry Peach, Dryad and the DIA’ by Pat Kirkham published by the Design Council, London in 1986 and Unfolding Creativity: British Pioneers in Arts Education from 1890-1950, Editors John Howlett and Amy Palmer, Chapter 7: 169-189, Springer Nature (2021) on Harry Peach.