This slipware charger by Bernard Leach has been acquired by the Harris Museum and Art Gallery in Preston.
Previously in the private collection of
Leach's son David, the 16½in (42cm) dish with a trailed 'well head'
design, signed and dated BL 1929 to the base, was
acquired from him in the late 1990s by his close friend Andy
Christian, the first director of The Devon Guild of Craftsmen.
It was sold by Maak, the London-based
specialists in contemporary ceramics, on May 17 for £12,000
(£14,400 including premium).
Stephanie Murfin, curator of decorative art
at the Harris, described it as an important purchase for the
museum, who had been looking to build on their existing collection
for some time.
"On his return to the UK from Japan in 1920,
Leach heralded a new chapter in British ceramic history - one that
[our] existing collection did not explore until now. Our aim in
acquiring an example of Leach's work is to secure a piece that best
encapsulates the artist's early spirit of experimentation and his
distinctive philosophy, one based on fusing the cultures of East
and West, promoting the value of hand over machine production, and
the importance of ceramic practice as a unified creative and
technical endeavour."
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