User:Fionnmalin/sandbox

(1) http://www.ashteadpotters.co.uk/percy-metcalfe.html Percy Metcalfe was born in 1895 and became a very prolific designer, working in the Art Deco style typical of the 1920's and 30's. He worked as a sculptor and also as a coin, medal and stamp designer and was one of the original designers to produce works for Ashtead.

Metcalfe works for the Ashtead Potters include a range of limited addition character face jugs of Stanley Baldwin, David Lloyd George, Lord Hailsham and Australian Prime Minister S. M. Bruce. Hand pained figural jugs were also made of Benjamin Franklin and Johnnie Walker, a bust of American film star Will Rogers and a plaque of Earl Hague. Advertising works include 'Prometheus' for Hope's Heating and Lighting. He also produced the first two models for Ashtead (M1 and M2) for the British Empire Exhibition held at Wembley in 1924 and 1925. These models depict a crouched lion in strong Art Deco styling. Metcalfe also designed the plaque to house a Wembley exhibitor's medal and also small souvenir lions for the exhibition.

(2) http://totallydublin.ie/arts-culture/arts-culture-features/irish-design-an-illustrated-guide/ WB Yeats chaired the design committee for the first currency of the Free State, with Percy Metcalfe’s apolitical artwork being used. Instead of any symbols of imperialism or authority, we had Irish wildlife – interwoven knotwork of celtic birds, a bull, a salmon, a horse, a woodcock, and a red deer. The coins gradually evolved until 1999 when the euro was introduced, but even now if you manage to find some old punts down the back of your sofa, you can dodge around the tents of Occupy Dame Street, go into the Central Bank, put the coins into a machine, and get your money back in euros.