Studio Pottery

The genesis of studio pottery - or art ceramics – as it is presently understood can be traced back to the Art Nouveau movement of the late 19th century.


Broadly speaking, Art Nouveau was a reactionary movement, with artists who had felt confined by convention developing sufficient self-confidence to break free from the shackles of ‘academic art’ which had prevailed for some two centuries. Suddenly it was deemed appropriate for individuals to express themselves through their creativity, without having to observe the dictates which had been religiously adhered to for so long; an objet d’art could be appreciated for what it was, without having to be critically assessed for its suitability for a particular function – art for art’s sake was a wake up call which empowered creatives to push the boundaries and set their own standards.


Previously, these figurative boundaries had been manifested in physical form; vases and glassware had to be broadly symmetrical, decorative motifs on porcelain or silverware had to be contained within reserves or borders, sculptures had to reproduce classical tropes – everything was judged against how good a replica it was of something which had gone before, how it represented a formalised ideal or how appropriate it was for the purposes it was deemed to be intended for. Art Nouveau swept such conventions aside.


Potters and ceramicists, in particular, revelled in this new found freedom, as unlike the at least partly-mechanical methods required to process molten glass or malleable metal, the materials they used were ideally suited for what were quite literally hands-on production techniques.


It took a special sort of genius such Rene Lalique to impart any semblance of organic essence to something which could only be moulded or fashioned with the intervention of tools, but once unfettered from the requirement to accurately reproduce sets of identical models or patterns, potters had an immediate and innate ability to ‘do their own thing’ simply because their raw materials could be uniquely manipulated in their own hands.


And so art pottery flourished, with basic forms now at liberty to be almost infinitely variable. The advent of innovative techniques for colouration and glazing gave further scope for diversity, with names such as Felix Singer, Ricardia, Starck and Andersen being at the forefront of such advances, and in a few short decades what was considered to be a saleable commodity was as far removed from what had gone before as can be imagined; it is almost impossible to conceive, for instance, what the reaction might be from someone who commissioned any late 19th century Coalport wares were they to be confronted with some 1960’s German ‘Fat Lava’ equivalents!


It is clear that the art pottery movement provided an outlet for a great deal of pent-up creativity across Europe, and not just in isolated centres. A case can be made for the ceramicists of Britain perhaps being the first to indulge their newly-liberated passions to any significant commercial extent, with Linthorpe’s, Maw & Co and the Ruskin Pottery in the van, followed by Shaw & Copestake and more experimental ventures as mentioned above. By the 1950’s though there were similar ventures across Scandinavia, the Low Countries, Italy and especially Germany, many of which still are still thriving today.

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1970s Briglin Studio Pottery Cylinder Vase

1970s Briglin Studio Pottery Cylinder Vase

A very fine 1970s Briglin studio pottery cylinder vase in excellent condition. For more studio pottery please visit Scottish Antiques online store.

£70.00

Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Pottery Vase

Early 20th Century Art Nouveau Pottery Vase

A very fine early 20th century Art Nouveau pottery vase from c1910 in excellent condition. For more antique pottery, including a wide range of studio pottery, please visit Scottish Antiques online store.

£55.00

Jacques Blin Blue Vase c1965

Jacques Blin Blue Vase c1965

A very fine Jacques Blin blue sgraffito vase from c1965 in excellent condition. For more studio pottery please visit Scottish Antiques online store.

£380.00

1960s Hungarian Geza Gorka Pottery Dragon Bowl

1960s Hungarian Geza Gorka Pottery Dragon Bowl

A very fine 1960s Hungarian Geza Gorka dragon bowl or jardinière in excellent condition. For more studio pottery please visit Scottish Antiques online store.

£240.00

Very Rare Belgian Hugria Chimney Vase c1965

Very Rare Belgian Hugria Chimney Vase c1965

A very fine and rare Belgian Hugria 'chimney' vase from c1965 in excellent condition. For more studio pottery please visit Scottish Antiques online store.

£420.00

Swedish Gustavsberg Blue 'Reptil' Dish Designed Stig Lindberg 1953

Swedish Gustavsberg Blue 'Reptil' Dish Designed Stig Lindberg 1953

A very fine Swedish Gustavsberg blue 'reptil' dish designed by Stig Lindberg in 1953. For more antqiue pottery, including a wide range of studio pottery, please visit Scottish Antiques online store.

£160.00

Charles Catteau for Boch Freres Art Deco Vase c1925

Charles Catteau for Boch Freres Art Deco Vase c1925

A very fine Charles Catteau for Boch Freres Art Deco vase from c1925 in excellent condition. For more pottery, including a range of Art Deco pottery, please visit Scottish Antiques online store.

£275.00

Stoneware Sphere Sculpture by Lies Cosijn c1972

Stoneware Sphere Sculpture by Lies Cosijn c1972

A very fine stoneware sphere sculpture by Lies Cosijn made c1972 in excellent condition. For more antique and vintage pottery, including a wide range of studio pottery, please visit Scottish Antiques online store.

£1,500.00

Aldo Londi for Bitossi Ceramiche - 'Liberty' Lidded Jar - c1963

Aldo Londi for Bitossi Ceramiche - 'Liberty' Lidded Jar - c1963

Aldo Londi for Bitossi Ceramiche - 'Liberty' Lidded Jar - c1963

£265.00

Briglin Studio Pottery Globe Vase Depicting Thistles c1975

Briglin Studio Pottery Globe Vase Depicting Thistles c1975

Briglin Studio Pottery Globe Vase Depicting Thistles c1975

£375.00

Briglin Studio Pottery Very Large Cylinder Vase Autumn Leaves c1975

Briglin Studio Pottery Very Large Cylinder Vase Autumn Leaves c1975

Briglin Studio Pottery Very Large Cylinder Vase Autumn Leaves c1975

£145.00

French or Belgian Art Deco Surrealist Eyeball or Target Vase c1930

French or Belgian Art Deco Surrealist Eyeball or Target Vase c1930

French or Belgian Art Deco/Surrealist Eyeball or Target Vase c1930

£225.00

Joan Romero Carrillo Studio Pottery Lustre Vase c2010

Joan Romero Carrillo Studio Pottery Lustre Vase c2010

Joan Romero Carrillo Studio Pottery Lustre Vase c2010

£325.00

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