Anne Gordon (née Barry) made these vibrant ceramics – her best-known designs are vegetables and birds – at a studio adjoining her house in Berkshire. She had married Captain Alastair Gordon, a nephew of the 2nd Marquess of Aberdeen, in 1950 and had been surprised to see him inherit the title in 1984.
Her designs, often used as centrepieces for dining room tables, were championed by the Scottish-born interior designer Jean Monro, who ran a shop in London’s Knightsbridge and held annual sell-out exhibitions of her work.
Substantial following
Her work rarely appears for sale (a collection sold by Duke’s in October 2020 was among the first offered at a regional saleroom) but has a substantial following in both the UK and the US, where she was known simply as ‘the cabbage lady’.
The pair of 11in (27cm) birds (with chips to a crest) on offer at Stride & Son (18% buyer’s premium) of Chichester on March 12 were estimated at £80-120 but sold at £1450.
