AN ARTS AND CRAFTS OAK KNEEHOLE DESK ATTRIBUTED TO CHARLES ROBERT ASHBEE EARLY 20TH CENTURY Of slatted panel form, the drawers around the kneehole ingeniously locking with the central drawer, opposing three drawers above four doors, the copper drawer handles stamped 'RATHBONE 543' 76cm high, 183cm wide, 99.5cm deep Charles Robert Ashbee (1863 - 1942) was an English architect and designer who was a leading proponent of the Arts and Crafts movement. His disciplines included metalwork, textile design, furniture, jewellery and other objects in the Modern Style (British Art Nouveau style) and Arts and Crafts genres. He became an elected member of the Art Workers' Guild in 1892, and was elected as its Master in 1929. Richard Llewellyn Benson Rathbone (1891-1939) trained with the distinguished Arts and Crafts metalworker W A S Benson, setting up his own workshop in the 1890s. Rathbone continued production until the early 1900s making metal fittings both to his own designs and for other designers including C F A Voysey, Lamb of Manchester, Morris & Co and A H Mackmurdo.