93 / 98
93
137
AN ANCHOR MEMORIAL BROOCH/MEDALLION, BY EDMOND JOHNSON, CIRCA 1905Designed in the form of an anchor, the centre set with a commemorative medallion with portrait of “Admiral Lord Nelson, born 9th
September 1758”, the shank with entwined twisted rope decoration,
mounted in 18K gold, signed Johnson Ltd Dublin, length 5.3cm, in fitted case
€1,500 - 2,500
Edmond Johnson was the leading goldsmith and silversmith in Dublin from the late 19th century and into the 20th century. He was based in
premises in the Grafton Street andWicklow Street areas.
In 1879, Edmond was commissioned to restore the Ardagh Chalice. He was later given official permission to make replicas of the chalice
and other objects. Edmond’s replicas became so sought after that he received commissions from expositions in Chicago (1893), Paris (1900)
and Glasgow (1901). His own catalogue in that period lists “the principal museums of America, Great Britain and the Continent” among his
clients.The Celtic Revival in design reached its height in Britain and Ireland in the 1890s. Celtic ornamentation was widely reflected in the
work of goldsmiths and silversmiths and, most notably, by Edmond Johnson. Edmond exhibited his Celtic Revival work at the Irish Arts &
Crafts Society’s first exhibition in Dublin in 1896. Modified Celtic designs from this period were seen in Scotland in the work of Charles
Rennie Mackintosh and in London with the Cymric range at the Liberty store.
In 1921, the Gaelic Athletic Association commissioned Edmond Johnson to create a silver trophy cup to commemorate the memory of Liam
McCarthy, to be awarded annually to the winner of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.The cup came to be known informally as
the Liam McCarthy Cup rather than its official name of the McCarthy Perpetual Challenge Cup.