Christening Set for Dr. Braccio Roberto Obermann Tosh Agnoletti, circa 1903-1905

The present christening set in delicate silver work was designed and gifted by Charles Rennie Mackintosh to his godson, Dr. Braccio Robert Obermann (Oberdan) Tosh Agnoletti, on the occasion of his birth on June 13th, 1905. Comprising a spoon, a fork, and together with a Scottish 'Quaich' monogrammed with Dr. Agnoletti’s initials, ‘BROTA’, the spoon and fork feature the initials in distinctive Art Nouveau lettering. The utensils feature a delicate perforation at the top of the handle, a unique element of Mackintosh’s style of elegant embellishment, and clever economy of form.
The delicately detailed set, design illustrated in a set of drawings at The Hunterian, University of Glasgow (inv. GLAHA:41937 and GLAHA:41936), was both a christening present and commemorative token of friendship between Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Dr. Agnoletti’s father, Fernando Agnoletti. Agnoletti, a lecturer in Italian Language and Literature at the University of Glasgow, was a fan and ardent supporter of Mackintosh’s work, and was close with both Charles Rennie Mackintosh and his wife, Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh. Writing of Mackintosh’s 1903 design for the Willow Tea Rooms in Dekorative Kunst, 12, April 1905, Agnoletti praises their complete, immersive design; where visitors are seemingly transported to a “fairyland” of Mackintosh’s creation. To Agnoletti, the tea rooms showcased Mackintosh’s “...unity of effect, purity and simplicity and his dislike of everything customary...”, key attributes immortalized in the present extraordinary and special christening set.