David Leach (British 1911-2005)

Lot 468 showcases a piece by David Leach, the son of Bernard Leach who founded Leach Pottery in St. Ives. Leach was born in Tokyo but moved over to the UK when he was 9 years old. In 1930 he started an apprenticeship with his father at Leach Pottery and later trained as a pottery manager at the North Staffordshire Technical College in Stoke-on-Trent. In 1955, Leach moved to Devon and set up Lowerdown Pottery where he began to move away from stoneware and experiment with porcelain. This charming brown glazed foxglove pot is a very good example of Leach’s pottery, and is impressed with the potter’s initials.

David Roberts (British b.1947)

David Roberts is one of the world's leading practitioners in Raku ceramics. Raku dates back to the 16th century and is a technique traditionally used on small vessels used in Japanese tea ceremonies. Roberts was born in Sheffield in 1947 and works from his studio in Holmfirth on the Yorkshire Pennine. Roberts draws inspiration from the natural world following the flowing lines of contours in our landscape and colour patterns caused by layers of stone. Lot 509, the tall raku fired crackle glazed pot is pure and white and yet the crackle effect adds an element of venerability and delicacy to the pot. Other examples by David Roberts can be found at Lot 508 and Lot 510. 

Betty Blandino (British 1927-2011)

Also included in the Interiors auction are three vessels by English artist Betty Blandino (Lot 477, Lot 478 & Lot 479). Blandino was born in London in 1927 and went on to study painting and pottery at Goldsmiths College. Blandino is best known for her experimentation with different hand building techniques, including coiling, for which her 2003 publication titled Coiled Pottery became renowned. Her pottery is often left unglazed or sometimes brushed with oxides and slips to create a soft and delicate effect.

William Marshall (British 1923-2007)

William Marshall spent his childhood and early career in St. Ives, Cornwall. It was here that he caught the attention of Bernard and David Leach and was accepted as a local apprentice to the St. Ives Leach Pottery. Despite his ill-health which he experienced as a child, he was conscripted for World War II in 1942 and served with the Royal Artillery. He returned to St. Ives in 1947 and threw his energy into pot making. Despite never having visited Japan, Marshall was inspired by the stories and tales he heard, fascinated by their unique approaches to throwing and experimentation with glazes and designs. His close friendship with Shoji Hamada influenced Marshall’s abstract decoration, particularly visible to Lot 471 the large stoneware glazed vase. Other examples by Marshall in the sale include Lot 472, Lot 473, Lot 475 and Lot 476.

Richard Batterham (British 1936-2021)

Lots 480-487 highlight the work of Richard Batterham. His stoneware was described in his Obituary in The Guardian ‘as both modest and majestic’. Batterham became renowned for producing some of the finest examples of stoneware in the ‘Leach tradition’. Batterham was at the forefront of British craftmanship with potters who were looking towards the far east for inspiration paired with experimentation with handling stoneware. Artists such as Bernard Leach, Katharine Pleydell Bouverie and William Staite Murray led the movement. Batterham carried out two apprenticeships at the Leach Pottery in St. Ives. His approach to pottery was that every piece was beautiful, whether it had a function or not.

Auction Details

Wednesday 19 & Thursday 20 July, 10.30am BST
Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 2JE

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• Sunday 16 July: 10am-3pm
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• Wednesday 19 July: from 8.30am
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