To celebrate the 150th Anniversary of Knox's birth, the Isle of Man Post Office issued a set of 10 stamps featuring his designs, released in April 2014. [43] Also in 2014, an exhibition exploring the work of Knox and his Celtic contemporaries ("Celtic Style") was held at the House of Manannan, Peel, Isle of Man. A commemorative concert was held at Peel Cathedral featuring newly composed harp music and also including Manx Gaelic choir music. An exhibition of Knox's work was held at the 42nd Olympia International Art & Antiques Fair in London in 2014.

Knox starting teaching at Douglas School of Art in 1884, while still a student. The Arts and Crafts architect Baillie Scott started classes at the Art School while Knox was teaching there, and Knox worked with him on some interiors. [17] [18] Anscombe, Isabelle (1988). "An Outpost of the Arts and Crafts Movement". The Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts. 8: 80–87. doi: 10.2307/1503971. JSTOR 1503971– via JSTOR.In 1897 Knox began working for the Silver Studio, who were designing for Liberty. [22] In 1899 he left with Collister for the Kingston School of Art. [21] Knox had an innovative method of teaching art: he collected a set of three thousand glass slides, of examples of design work, to show his students. While showing these he encouraged the students to consider the design principles involved in each, and whether the design met the functional requirements. [27] So when one thinks of collecting Archibald Knox you may want to start by thinking what of his many design or artistic areas you wish to focus on, which in turn may be dictated by budget. Even then however, the average householder was too poor to replace his wooden utensils with pewter until around the middle of the 18th century. For almost a hundred years thereafter it became the material for every day utensils and commodities.

This is perhaps what Knox is best known for and there are several important points to consider as a potential collector. Knox only designed, never made, silver for Liberty & Co and, with a very few exceptions, none of his pieces, or designs, are signed by him. So almost everything that is deemed Knox is, to varying degrees of certainty, attributions. To add to this, Knox’s designs were adapted by Liberty, so you have many pieces which may have Knox motifs, but where the entirety of the piece is not by Knox. In general, pieces which are clearly and wholly by Knox are more expensive, and within that category, those that are most radical and modernist are the most expensive. The 15th and 16th centuries are described as the Golden Age for pewter manufacture, a time when even grand houses used pewter as well as silver for domestic use and a time which preceded the introduction of mass-produced ceramic wares, which ultimately replaced pewter, especially plates and drinking vessels. Sometimes the makers added touch marks resembling silver hallmarks, usually four in number. These faux hall marks were not recognised by The Worshipful Company of Pewterers or supported in law. Mr. Knox's system of teaching was essentially his own. Instead of insisting on the English method of art education by making laborious copies of scraps of museum specimens of 'styles' he made at his own expense three thousand lantern slides, illustrating works of art from prehistoric times down to the gipsy caravans of to-day, showing how Art was produced by the workman in the joy of using his chisel or hammer. To you of MANNIN it will be interesting to know that he gave lectures on your grey thatched homes, your churches, and your crosses, making us love them as if they were our own." [28] Knox had a profound and intertwining interest in the natural world and landscape, the spiritual life, and the history and art of the Isle of Man and particularly the early Celtic Christian Church. He described this connection in his illuminated 1913 poem "Renshent", written about an early Celtic Christian keeill (chapel) on the Isle of Man. [29]

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Arthur Lasenby Liberty's grave at St John the Baptist Churchyard, The Lee – Archibald Knox". www.archibaldknoxforum.com . Retrieved 18 October 2023. In 1975 the V&A Museum staged an exhibition of Liberty's designs. This started a slow increase in awareness of Knox and his work. [39]

Knox has been described as modest and monk-like: "almost Cistercian in his silence". [38] He has also been described as gruff and stubborn. However, he did have close friendships, such as with Canon Quine [15] and A. J. Collister. He was an active member of various societies such as the Isle of Man Antiquarian Society and the Freemasons. He was a sidesman at his local high Anglican Church, St Matthew's. [26] He also wrote a number of articles in journals to communicate his ideas. I would highlight two key areas. Archibald Knox suffers more than many from misattribution. Whilst Knox was the main designer for Liberty’s Cymric and Tudric range, he was by no means the only designer. There is an increasing trend to attribute everything in these ranges to Knox. In general, if an item does not have Knox’s classic Celtic entrelac or breath-taking modernism, be very sceptical, although it might still be by him, especially if an early design. Archibald Knox Celtic Style Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of his Birth". Isle of Man Post Office. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014 . Retrieved 21 March 2014.Knox’s designs for the Tudric range bridged the major art movements of the early 20 th century. The Arts & Crafts pieces brought in motifs from the Art Nouveau, Celtic Revival and Modernist movements. He combined a strong sense of form and proportion with re-interpreted historic motifs to create stylish pieces that encapsulate the spirit of the era. For the true Archibald Knox connoisseur, there is a wide range of other areas that Knox turned his hand to. Typically these items are much rarer. Knox’s first commercial designs were for textiles when he worked for the Silver Studio in around 1897. Occasionally his fabrics or wallpaper designs can be identified and come up for sale. From the Isle of Man itself, Knox did occasional furniture designs, often for himself, or other metalwork. I recently sold an amazing sundial pointer he designed that was cast on the Island in 1905. Prices in this category vary hugely but anything substantial and unequivocally by Knox from the Isle of Man itself will typically be many thousands.

In the year 1348 Articles were granted to the Worshipful Company of Pewterers in London, which enabled them to control the quality of pewter. Two grades of pewter were specified, and then later a further grade was added, and these three grades were adhered to until the 20th century. These designs spanned across multiple mediums, from metalware to terracotta, jewellery to graphic design, all of which were then manufactured by specialist factories. None of the pieces are signed by Knox, as Liberty & Co. had a strict policy of anonymity for their designers. Knox’s best-known designs were those he produced for their Cymric (precious metal) and Tudric (pewter) ranges. Pewter is believed to have been introduced to Britain by the Romans, who exploited the main source of tin in Europe at the time, which was in Cornwall. The craft fell into decline after the Romans withdrew from Britain but it is thought that the Cistercian monks reintroduced it after the Norman Conquest in AD 1066. Archibald Knox (9 April 1864 in Cronkbourne village, Tromode, Braddan, [1] Isle of Man [2]– 22 February 1933 in Douglas, Isle of Man), was a Manx designer of Scottish descent. He is best known as being Liberty's primary designer at the height of their success and influence upon British and International design. [3] Knox's work bridged the Arts and Crafts Movement, Celtic Revival, Art Nouveau, and Modernism. He is seen as a leading figure of the Modern Style movement. [4] [5]In 1896 or 1897 Knox was working for / studying with the pioneering designer Christopher Dresser in London. [20] In 1897, Knox started teaching at Redhill School of Art where his friend from art school A. J. Collister was principal. [21] Knox was part of a 'Manx renaissance' of culture and history led by antiquarians. They rediscovered, reconstructed and reinterpreted history and traditions to bolster Manx cultural distinctiveness and devolved political status in the face of economic and social influences from the British Empire and the thousands of visitors to the Island's booming tourism industry. [30] [8] [31] [ unreliable source?] This was part of a wider Celtic Revival echoed in smaller nations across Europe asserting their identities.