Copper Craftsmen

Craftsmen made Arts and Crafts–style decorative pieces using copper, a metal that had generally been ignored except for utilitarian pieces. Silver was used with copper, gilt, brass, or stones to make hollow ware in a style called Japonisme. The style reflected a romantic view of Japanese art popular in Europe and the United States at the beginning of the twentieth century. Teapots were made of copper decorated with silver birds or flowers. Or a teapot could be of silver decorated with other metals. Arts and Crafts designers of the early 1900s liked the subtle shading of copper against dark oak furniture and preferred hardware of darkened copper. Hammered copper gave a handcrafted look.