At the beginning of 2020 Charlotte was commissioned by Barber Emeritus and former Master of the Worshipful Company of Barbers John Bootes to design and create four ceremonial goblets for use at Company dinners by those members that hold Emeritus status. The title of Barber Emeritus is the highest honour the Barbers’ Company can bestow, and is awarded ‘in recognition of service by any member of the company who makes an outstanding and lasting contribution to the life and well-being of the Company.’
During the design process John was kind enough to give Charlotte a tour of the Barber-Surgeons’ Hall in Monkwell Square, London, where she was able to see the Company’s collection of art and objects, and get a real sense of John’s passion and pride in the Company’s history, traditions and charitable work. Realising the importance of this, Charlotte sought to present a design truly unique to, and representative of the Barbers’ Company.
The resulting four goblets were presented to the Worshipful Company of Barbers in June 2021 and have already made an appearance at several Company functions. Their stems are made up of three fleams (an instrument originally used for bloodletting) whose blades meet to form the foot of each goblet, and upon whose handles the bowl rests. Suspended between each set of fleams, just above the blades, is a barber’s bowl with its tell-tale cut out in the rim to enable it to be nestled under the chin of the person receiving a shave in order to catch the lather. Around the neck of the stem, between each of the fleam handles, sits the double Tudor rose and spatula emblem which can be found on the ceiling of the main hall. The final touch is the engraving of the Opinicus in the centre of each goblet bowl, around which reads “Presented by Barber Emeritus John A H Bootes Master 1987 – 1988” and underneath “De Praescientia Dei” the Company’s motto. The Opinicus (part eagle, part lion, part camel) is the crest of the Company’s coat of arms and is the main feature of a beautiful stained-glass window installed at the Hall to mark the Millennium. Further engraving, all of which was done by master silversmith and engrave Angus McFadyen, around the foot of each goblet reads “Barber Emeritus Worshipful Company of Barbers” followed by the Sheffield Hallmark.