John Moyr Smith (12 March 1839 – 1 December 1912) was a Scottish architect and architectural historian later noted as an artist and designer, famed for his work on ceramic tiles.

Life

Smith was born on 12 March 1839 at 43 John Street in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

the son of David Smith a wine and spirit merchant and his wife Margaret Moire. He was articled as an architect to James Salmon in 1855 and around 1859 moved to the offices of James Smith and worked on the detailing of Overtoun House. From 1857 he attended

Glasgow School of Art The Glasgow School of Art (GSA; gd, Sgoil-ealain Ghlaschu) is a higher education art school based in Glasgow, Scotland, offering undergraduate degrees, post-graduate awards (both taught and research-led), and PhDs in architecture, fine art, an ...

. He was president of the Glasgow Architectural Association. Working on Overtoun he encountered several highly skilled artists involved in its decoration:

William Leiper William Leiper FRIBA RSA (1839–1916) was a Scottish architect known particularly for his domestic architecture in and around the town of Helensburgh.Bruce Talbert and Daniel Cottier. Working with Melvin he completed the Stirling's Library project in Glasgow following Smith's death. Soon after (around 1864) he moved south to the studio of Alfred Darbyshire where he also encountered Henry Stacy Marks. In 1866 he moved to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

as an assistant to George Gilbert Scott. In 1869 he went to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

to meet

Gustave Doré Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré ( , , ; 6 January 1832 – 23 January 1883) was a French artist, as a printmaker, illustrator, painter, comics artist, caricaturist, and sculptor. He is best known for his prolific output of wood-engravin ...

. In 1873 he designed a house for himself: Doune Lodge at 27 Oxford Road,

Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient paris ...

where he lived with his mother and unmarried sister, Christina. Being left alone from 1891 he moved to a smaller house in 1894: Bloomfield in Queen's Road, Richmond. He died at Oakbank Cottage in

Kilcreggan Kilcreggan (Scottish Gaelic: ''Cille Chreagain'') is a village on the Rosneath peninsula in Argyll and Bute, West of Scotland. It developed on the north shore of the Firth of Clyde at a time when Clyde steamers brought it within easy reach ...

on 1 December 1912. An example of his work is the interior of the Great Hall of the former Holloway Sanatorium, now in Virginia Park, an exclusive housing development near

Virginia Water Virginia Water is a commuter village in the Borough of Runnymede in northern Surrey, England. It is home to the Wentworth Estate and the Wentworth Club. The area has much woodland and occupies a large minority of the Runnymede district. Its n ...

, Surrey, England.

Publications

*Contributor to Fun Magazine from 1866 *Studies for Pictures: A Medley (1868) *Album of Decorative Figures (1882) *Ancient Greek Female Costume (1882) *Ornamental Interiors Ancient and Modern (1888)

References

External links

Elaine
by Smith
John Moyr Smith - Arts & Crafts Home
British ceramicists British designers 1839 births 1912 deaths {{UK-artist-stub