The Forest Craft Guild (FCG) was started by Forest Emerson Mann in 1905 and closed sometime around 1918. Mann was a student of artist/design professor Arthur Wesley Dow at the Pratt Institute (Brooklyn) around 1902. He gradually made his way to Grand Rapids, where he founded the guild. The guild is believed to be responsible for many of the lamp shades produced during the period by the Stickley Brothers and Charles Limbert.
FORM & DESIGN
Like Carence Crafters items, Forest Craft Guild pieces can be easily identified once collectors get familiar with the forms and designs. Only about half of FCG pieces are actually signed, and identical forms have been found both signed and unsigned.
FCG work used a wider array of techniques than the Carence Crafters, including:
Acid-etched details
Reticulated (cut out) pieces
Riveted and applied designs in different base metals
Repouseé patterns (hammered from behind to give a three-dimensional effect)
Use of precious stones and glass
Almost always, FCG pieces will have a finely finished edge; basically, a subtle hammering all the way around the borders. Unmarked pieces can be identified by their standard patterns and designs. As evident in the photos here, look for square & dot repouseé patterns; scarab motifs; dragon, abstract whiplash, Celtic, or geometric acid-etched work; stones of the same color/size; and reticulated scenes that repeat in various objects. (note the girl & cat bookends bear the same design found in the famous Dutch Limbert lamp).
PATINA & FINISH
FCG used a wider variety than Carence Crafters: patinas in copper, verdigris, antiqued brass, silver, and even gold. Its overall verdigris patina is truly spectacular – it sometimes serves as the stand-out detail of a piece (see the single square bookend, desk set, and boxes).
To find out more about Mann and the Forest Craft Guild, see the superb book by Don Marek: Grand Rapids Art Metalwork, 1902-1918.