Scotland

Cottier forged his reputation in the country of his birth, Scotland and despite his travels and business interests in other places, he retained close connections throughout his life both with the country and with his fellow Scottish designers.

Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow provided many commissions in the early stages of Cottier’s career.

Of the church schemes, architect William Leiper’s Dowanhill Church, now Cottiers, is the principal survivor from the early years. Further information on Leiper and the restoration of Dowanhill Church can be found here.

William Leiper’s domestic commissions provided many opportunities for Cottier in Scotland and his studio supplied stained glass, furniture, schemes of decoration and ceramic tiles and other fittings, representative of the the Aesthetic Movement.

This Movement, emerging as it did from England, had Cottier as one of its main leaders, exponents and exporters, along with many other exceptional Scottish designers of the period.

The decorative and design work that started in the 1860s set the scene for the next generation of designers and craft workers who became associated with the Glasgow Style.