GEORGE WALTON (1867-1933)
WALL PANEL, CIRCA 1890
repoussé-decorated copper, pewter, coloured glass, bears painted maker's mark lower right GEORGE WALTON & CO., LTD/ DECORATORS, GLASS STAINERS/ AND CABINETMAKERS/ GLASGOW, later frame
53cm x 45.4cm (frame size 64.5cm x 56.5cm)
Literature: Moon K. George Walton: Designer and Architect, White Cockade 1993Glasgow Museums - Collections Navigator, collections.glasgowmuseums.com, 2016 ‘Miss Cranston’, Glasgowlife.org.uk, 2016 Note: This rare wall panel by George Walton (1867-1933) is characteristic of his work as a designer and decorator in the context of Glasgow's artistic avant-garde during the late 19th century. Walton was a pioneering influence on the distinctive 'Glasgow Style', experimenting with mixed media wall panels and stained glass, such as this example of a glass mosaic overlaid with copper and pewter. Similar examples can be seen in his work for Miss Cranston's tearooms at Argyle Street, for which he was commissioned, together with Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868-1928), to redesign the interior in 1888. Walton's panels combined coloured glass with bright beaten copper, creating light and reflective three-dimensional surfaces. Walton chose coloured glass for its distinct material characteristics which did not need to be overpainted.Following this, George Walton & Co, Ecclesiastical and House Decorators, expanded to include the design and production of woodwork, furniture and stained glass. Walton, influenced by William Morris (1934-1896) and James Whistler (1834-1903), went on to work in almost every area of the decorative arts including; stencilling, fabrics, fireplaces, carpets, glassware and graphics to name a few, before finishing his diverse and innovative career as an architect.