Studio pottery by some of the early 20th Century potters now makes dizzying prices at specialist auctions, as Vivienne reports.
THE IDEA of making stoneware and pottery items as art really took hold in the early 20th Century when Bernard Leach and a Japanese pottery friend –Shoji Hamada – set up the pottery in St Ives Cornwall. The Leach Pottery is considered to be the birthplace of British studio pottery and Bernard Leach played a crucial role in creating an identity for artist potters across the world. He developed his own style based on traditional Japanese and Chinese ceramics…