Archibald Knox (1864-1933) was born on the outskirts of Douglas, and is buried in Braddan churchyard. A career teaching art on the Island sandwiched a long stint in London (1897-1912), where he taught, but also worked as a designer for Liberty & Co, the London department store:



His range was immense. He designed furniture, jewellery, household items, gravestones...; he painted innumerable watercolours, which atmospherically reflect the colours and moods of the Island; he illustrated books; he illuminated documents...

Today we visited an exquisite exhibition of his work at the Manx Museum. It's worth quoting the intro they offer: "Knox was profoundly inspired by the Island's natural beauty, as well as its Celtic and Norse heritage -- elements that are evident in his beautiful designs... Blending the Arts and Crafts movement, Art Nouveau, Modernism and Celtic Revival, Knox created a distinctive style that transformed the design landscape of his era. Knox's legacy -- as an innovative artist, designer and teacher -- continues to resonate across the world, and his Celtic-inspired works are now synonymous with Manx art and culture."



Knox has been mentioned on Purple Tern before. We've seen his work in Maughold (as I noted in that post, my mother had personal recollections of him, not necessarily the most positive); in Kirk Michael; and, of course, at the Manx Museum, which holds quite a collection of his work. For this exhibition, though, their holdings are supplemented one-for-one by items from other museums and private collectors.

Here are just a few of these beautiful things:









I'll close with just one more, which is a page from Knox's sadly unfinished version of The Deer's Cry. This beautiful prayer is the longer piece from which the more familiar Breastplate of St Patrick is taken. According to the source I've just quoted, St Patrick and his followers were under mortal threat, but "it is said that [their enemies] saw not Patrick and his men, but a gentle doe followed by twenty fawns", and this miracle of substitution allowed them to escape: