Arts & Crafts Brooch by John Maitland Talbot, Edinburgh

The brooch is comprised of two interlocking circles, intertwined with a mythical peacock-style bird and has been set with two cabochon moons. The reverse has a hinged steel pin and is marked ‘JMT’ with Edinburgh hallmarks for sterling silver and 1901.

John Maitland Talbot was an Edinburgh based jeweller and silversmith. While his mark is well recorded and seen on various small pieces of silver, it is his connection with the burgeoning Art & Crafts movement in Scotland where his work excels. He is best known as the maker of the metal work that Phoebe Anna Traquair frequently set her enamel to. Arguably, their most famous collaborative work is the ‘Psyche’ Paua Shelll now held in the National Museums Scotland:

https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/collection-search-results/paua-shell/398999

Within the same collection is an almost exact copy of this brooch but the item has been designed as a two part silver buckle and set with lapis lazuli cabochons:

https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/collection-search-results/buckle-portion/647178

This brooch, however, shows no signs of conversion from a buckle and so this appears to be a variation on the same design.

Dimensions:

Height 6.2cm

Width 3.2cm

Weight 18.9g