Vintage Studio Pottery Teardrop Dish – Slipware, Ochre Glaze, Redruth Cornwall

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Product: 8455597
  • Product: 8455597
  • Product: 8455597
  • Product: 8455597
  • Product: 8455597
  • Product: 8455597

  • Vintage Studio Pottery Teardrop Dish – Slipware, Ochre Glaze, Redruth Cornwall

  • £26.00

:  at  £26.00  each

A wonderfully characterful and rather mysterious piece of vintage studio pottery, found locally in Redruth, Cornwall. This unusual handmade dish has a distinctive asymmetric teardrop form, measuring approximately 19 cm long, with a rich ochre-yellow glazed interior decorated with freely applied dark slip motifs. The exterior is a warm earthy brown, giving the whole piece a wonderfully tactile, organic appearance. The underside carries an incised maker’s mark which appears to read either “BK” or “DK”. Despite researching the mark, I have not yet been able to confidently identify the potter. The base itself is glazed, an interesting detail in its construction. Fully glazed bases can require the piece to be supported during firing to prevent the glaze adhering to the kiln shelf, and any small firing or support marks visible underneath form part of the story of how the piece was made. Stylistically, the bold slip decoration, earthy palette and sculptural asymmetric form have a strong vintage British studio pottery character. It was found in Redruth, Cornwall, an area with a particularly rich tradition of studio ceramics. While its local discovery makes a Cornish origin an intriguing possibility, I have not attributed it to a particular Cornish pottery or maker without firmer evidence. DETAILS • Vintage studio pottery dish • Found in Redruth, Cornwall • Incised maker’s initials – possibly BK or DK • Maker currently unidentified • Distinctive teardrop / asymmetric form • Slip-decorated ochre glazed interior • Warm brown exterior • Glazed underside • Handmade character throughout MEASUREMENTS Length: approx. 19 cm Width: approx. 12.5 cm Depth: approx. 5.5 cm CONDITION A vintage handmade piece with the variations and firing characteristics expected of studio pottery. Please study all photographs carefully as they form an important part of the description. THE MYSTERY MAKER Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this little dish is the unidentified incised mark on its underside. It appears to read either “BK” or “DK”, but I have not found enough evidence to attach it confidently to a particular potter. Its Redruth provenance may ultimately provide the clue. Until then, I would much rather leave the maker honestly unidentified than give this lovely piece a speculative attribution. A very appealing piece of vintage British studio pottery in its own right – sculptural, tactile and completely individual.