Arts and Crafts Silver Oil Stock and Pyx by Greenwood & Watts, London 1917

This is an Arts and Crafts silver oil stock and pyx made by Greenwood & Watts in London, dated 1917. The object is cylindrical with a planished (hand‑hammered) surface and an applied rope‑twist zigzag band around the shoulder. The lid carries an embossed Chi‑Rho (☧) symbol; the interior of the lid is gilt. The piece is composed of three parts as seen in the photographs: the main silver cylinder, a removable gilt‑lined cap with a bayonet fitting, and a separate clear glass liner intended to contain sacred oil. Hallmarks visible on the exterior confirm Greenwood & Watts as maker and give a 1917 London assay date, locating origin and manufacture in England during the later years of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Condition Report

The silver retains the planished finish visible in the images; small hammer marks and light surface abrasion are apparent and consistent with age and use. There are no visible large dents or splits in the silver body; the applied rope‑twist band and the embossed Chi‑Rho on the lid are intact. The bayonet fitting engages and secures the cap to the body as shown in the sequence of photographs. The gilt interior of the cap remains substantially intact with even gilding and no flaking evident in the images. The removable glass liner is shown separately and presents without visible chips or cracks. Minor surface oxidation and fine scratches are present in recesses and on the base, and there is evidence of historical cleaning or polishing. Hallmarks are legible in the photographs, allowing maker and date verification.

Dimensions

Weight: 0.115gm, Length: 9cm, Width: 4cm, Height: 9cm.

A Container for Sacred Oils

The object functions as both an oil stock and a pyx within Christian liturgical practice. The glass liner is intended to hold consecrated or blessed oils used in sacraments such as baptism, confirmation and the anointing of the sick, providing a non‑reactive barrier between the metal and the oil. The cap with its bayonet fitting allows the vessel to be closed securely for transport or storage. The embossed Chi‑Rho on the lid identifies the object’s connection to Christian ritual. When used as a pyx, the small secure cap and compact form enable the safe carriage of consecrated elements to the sick or housebound.

Representative of Arts and Crafts Aesthetics

The object demonstrates characteristics associated with the Arts and Crafts movement: emphasis on handwork, visible tool marks and restrained ornament drawn from medieval sources. The planished surface is produced by repeated hammering rather than polishing to a mirror finish, a technique favoured by makers aligned with the movement’s rejection of industrial smoothness. The applied rope‑twist zigzag band provides a measured decorative motif rather than an all‑over surface pattern, and the Chi‑Rho emblem signals a medieval Christian reference common in ecclesiastical commissions of the period. The overall effect is functional clarity with selectively employed ornamentation.

The Craft of Silverwork

Construction combines several silversmithing techniques. The cylindrical body would have been formed from a silver sheet or tube and planished with a hammer to produce the visible hammer marks. The rope‑twist zigzag band appears to be separately formed and applied by soldering to the shoulder. The lid incorporates an embossed Chi‑Rho, produced by striking from the reverse or by repoussé work, and the interior has been gilt to protect oils from direct contact with silver. A bayonet fitting—visible in the images when the cap is removed—secures the cap to the body; the removable clear glass liner is a later insert intended to protect the metal and the oils. Hallmarks applied to the exterior indicate assay and maker and would have been struck after finishing.

Crafted by Greenwood & Watts

Greenwood & Watts was a London silversmithing firm active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and known for ecclesiastical commissions. The firm executed liturgical silver using traditional techniques and often worked within the visual language of the Arts and Crafts movement. Markings shown in the photographs correspond with Greenwood & Watts’ registered hallmarks and the London assay office, providing documentary evidence of maker, assay and year. The firm’s practice typically combined functional requirements for church use with handwork that left tool marks and other indicators of manual manufacture, as seen in this example.

Collected by Enthusiasts of Ecclesiastical Silver

Collectors of ecclesiastical silver commonly value items that demonstrate clear liturgical purpose, documented maker and date, and retained functional features such as original linings or closures. This oil stock and pyx offers those attributes: an identifiable maker’s mark, a dated assay, intact functional elements (bayonet fitting and glass liner) and a symbol—Chi‑Rho—that connects the object to ritual use. Interest also attaches to pieces from the Arts and Crafts period because they document a specific approach to material and technique. Condition, maker and completeness of original components will be central to appraisal and interest among specialists in liturgical silver.