Pioneers of Studio Ceramics: Modern Masterpieces at Woolley & Wallis
As the year draws to its close, Woolley & Wallis presents its bi-annual British Art Pottery auction in Salisbury, with selected highlights on view in its Mayfair Galleries, London. Long regarded as one of the UK’s leading auction houses for decorative arts, Woolley & Wallis presents a curated selection of works that trace the evolution of British ceramics from the Victorian era through to the modern studio movement.
With over 350 lots to be sold on 10th December, Woolley and Wallis are proud to present modern masters of their craft, celebrating the collectors and collections their pieces are woven through.
The Studio Ceramics section opens with significant works by early pioneers of the movement – Bernard Leach (1887-1979) and Janet Leach (1918-1997) of the St Ives pottery, presented alongside a selection of works by Katharine Pleydell-Bouverie (1895-1985). Recalling to mind the historic early Staffordshire slipware of Thomas and Ralph Toft, Leach’s early Hare dish, c.1924, is a charming and evocative work depicting that most English of symbols: the hare at full stride. A similar piece may be seen on page 76 of the exhibition catalogue for the Bernard Leach: 125th Anniversary presentation at the Asahi Shinbun, Tokyo, 29 August – 11 November 2012. Also present in the sale are a pair of Leaping Deer dishes, another of Leach’s favoured motifs – though with a rich green ash glaze rather than the lustre type of the former work.
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Such ash glazes were, famously, the experimental focus of Pleydell-Bouverie, whose output is also well represented in the sale with a selection of fine pieces. From her wood-fired kiln at Coleshill, the 17th century family estate, Pleydell-Bouverie made use of sieved ash derived from the remarkable variety of woods, hedgerows and vegetable gardens of the estate, making detailed experiments and records of the glazes created by different compositions of ashes.
Several of the pieces in the upcoming sale exemplify her masterful control over these natural glazes, as well as the nuanced and delicate fluted and flared forms that they envelop.
While the partnership between Leach and Pleydell-Bouverie is well celebrated – the latter potter being taken in under the wing of Leach after a series of evening classes – perhaps an even more significant relationship is that of the most famous émigré potters of the 20th century: Hans Coper (1920-1981) and Lucie Rie (1902-1995). Coper joined Rie’s studio in 1946 as an assistant, having never before worked in clay. The domestic simplicity of Rie’s output contrasts with Coper’s sculptural, abstract forms, and Woolley & Wallis is proud to present a number of fine pieces by both potters. Of particular note is a rare vessel – cup on foot with central disc, circa 1965 – which is provenanced to the estate of Jane Coper (1932-2002), Hans’ lifelong sweetheart and a talented artist in her own right.
The variety of ceramics offered in the sale is demonstrated further by a selection of sculptural works by noted potters, including Ewen Henderson (1934-2000) and Gordon Baldwin (1932-2025), as well as a small group of colourful and attractive works by Emmanuel Cooper (1938-2012). A stoneware jug enveloped in a bright yellow glaze with gold spots is of particular interest, being the first piece presented at the Ruthin Craft Centre, Emmanuel Cooper OBE 1938-2012, A Retrospective Exhibition, held 7 December 2013 – 2 February 2014.
Contemporary ceramics are well represented by striking works from such artists as Ashraf Hanna (b.1967), Akiko Hirai (b.1970), Bodil Manz (b.1943) and Edmund de Waal (b.1964). Hirai’s extraordinary Extra Large Moon Jar, c.2000, is a museum-quality piece of grogged stoneware, presenting large rugged porcelain deposits over white and black slips under running pale blue and green glazes. The moon jar was presented at the Flow Gallery, Akiko Hirai Solo Show, 25 June – 15 September 2020, and it stands as a remarkable testament to Hirai’s vision, imagination and experimental daring. On a different scale, the delicate celadon crackle-glazed pinched and thumbed vessels for which De Waal is renowned are well represented, and appear at a timely moment – with the opening at The Hepworth Wakefield of Playing with Fire: Edmund de Waal and Axel Salto, a new exhibition which sees De Waal offering an interpretation of Salto’s artistic influence.
Woolley & Wallis has a long history of curating single-owner collections and estates, and prides itself on having achieved very strong prices for such. This auction features the ongoing sale of the estate of the highly regarded craftsman Richard Batterham (1936-2021), which features numerous exhibition pieces for the V&A and the Craft Council.
About Woolley & Wallis
Woolley & Wallis, based in Salisbury and Mayfair, is one of the UK’s leading regional auction houses. The 20th Century Design department has achieved world record prices in its field and is well regarded for its finely curated sales, which aim to showcase rare and exceptional pieces for the dedicated collector. The department has achieved very strong prices for private collections and fine single objects alike, notably including the sale in 2023 of a Wiener Werkstätte silver and malachite tray, designed by Josef Hoffmann for Palais Stoclet Brussels, for £230,000. Client enquiries may be directed towards Max Fisher, Head of Design: mf@woolleys.live, +44 (0)1722 424505
