The artist Robert Anning Bell believed that mosaics, frescos and stained glass were "the three great Christian decorative arts" (3), and practised in all these areas, as well as in painting, low-relief sculpture and book illustration, and miscellaneous areas like textile design. Having discussed his "easel work," his obituarist in the Times writes, "It was, however, principally in the field of decorative art that Bell's cultivated instinct for design and appreciation of the technical requirement of a craft best asserted themselves." The obituarist particularly notes his "characteristic obedience to the requirements of the particular craft on which he was engaged," and picks out, amongst his other works, his mosaics at the Horniman Museum (which he describes as "beautiful and too little known") and Westminster Cathedral — and also his panels in the House of Commons and his stained glass at the Manchester Reference Library. Discussing three of his works in the Arts and Crafts Exhibition of 1899, Aymer Vallence concluded, "We see no room for criticism anywhere" (107). — Jacquleine Banerjee
Mosaics and Ceramics
- Façade of the Horniman Museum
- Tympanum of Westminster Cathedral
- Ceramic frieze at the University of Birmingham
Textile Design
Work in other media
Bibliography
Bell, Robert Anning. A Lecture on Stained Glass. London: Royal College of Art, 1922. Internet Archive. Web. 25 February 2013.
"Mr Anning Bell, R. A.: Painter and Craftsman" (Obituary). The Times. 28 November 1933: 19. Times Digital Archive. Web. 25 February 2013.
Rose, Peter. "Bell, Robert Anning (1863-1933)." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Online ed. Web. 23 February 2013.
Vallance, Aymer. "British Decorative Art in 1899, and the Arts and Crafts Exhibition, Pt II." Google Books. Free to read. Web. 7 August 2026.
Created 25 February 2013
Last modified 10 August 2026