Makers & Designers

Strauss & Co’s decorative arts department has handled a worldly list of makers and designers specialising in furniture making, jewellery, silver, glass, porcelain and other artisanal trades.

Strauss & Co’s decorative arts department has handled a worldly list of makers and designers specialising in furniture making, jewellery, silver, glass, porcelain and other artisanal trades. This searchable database lists prominent makers and designers sold by Strauss & Co, including René Lalique, Gio Ponti, Patrick Mavros, as well as coveted houses like The Barnards and Tiffany & Co.


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Kurt Jobst

Johannesburg, South Africa 1905-1971 

Kurt Jobst was born in Switzerland into a culturally progressive family.

In 1935 he relocated to South africa and established' The Jobst Shop' in Johannesburg. He was a master metalworker across many disciplines- silversmithing, goldsmithing, enamel, engraving, woodcarving, wrought iron and stained glass. His design aesthetic reflected classical, timeless elegance, adapted to South African cultural and material contexts. Preferring clean lines and restrained decoration, he avoided the overworked ornamentation that was fashionable at the time. Jobst marked his pieces with linked letters 'Jk', his surname , and sometimes a stylised unicorn.

He taught at Wits technical College's School for Arts and Crafts and trained both white and black apprentices in his studio workshop which was a daring politacal stance during the apartheid era.

He died in a car accident in 1971, leaving behind an enduring legacy that remains admired and collected today.

We have not offered any works by Kurt Jobst at auction

Please contact us if you have any further enquiries.