Pots are kiln it at auction!

By Emily Ratcliffe MA MNAVA, Golding Young & Mawer.

A fine and varied single-owner collection of studio pottery stole the show at Lincoln’s Fine Art Auction, with buyers spending over £24,000.

But what were a group of ceramics doing in a sale typically associated with works of art on canvas, board and paper? Studio pottery is the umbrella term used for ceramics made by artists in their workshops, created either individually or by a small team. Think The Great Pottery Throw Down on Channel 4.

A discipline which started in the early 20th century, these handcrafted pieces mark a movement away from the industrialised world of mass production.

Works of art in themselves, no two pieces are the same; but unlike a Lowry, which can only be hung and admired on a wall, Studio ceramics can be functional as well as decorative. Although, with one teapot by Walter Keeler (b. 1942) selling for £700 on sale day, you might not want to brew tea in it!

Keeler, a British potter known for his salt glaze pieces, has exhibited at the Victoria & Albert Museum, as well as the Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo. Golding Young offered eight of his works at auction, with another notable example selling for £750 – a twin-handled vessel.

Similarly, a tulip shaped vase by John Ward (1938-2023) attracted much interest on sale day and sold for £1,600.

A floor standing black burnished vase or vessel by German potter Gabriele Koch (b.1948) achieved £300, and a smoke-fired stoneware bowl by Antonia Salmon (b.1959), a Sheffield based ceramic artist, sold for £160.

Raku is the ancient Japanese firing process whereby pots are rapidly cooled down as they come out of the kiln by being placed straight into materials such as newspapers or sawdust, creating fantastic metallic hues, intricate cracking to the glaze and colour variations. One such piece using this technique by Peter Hayes (b.1946), known for his ceramic sculptures, realised £340.

Full results from the auction can be found at www.goldingyoung.com

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