Joy & Ken Wild Firs Pottery Sculptural Vase | Hand-Built Stoneware, Cheshire Studio Pottery

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Product: 8455524
  • Product: 8455524
  • Product: 8455524
  • Product: 8455524
  • Product: 8455524
  • Product: 8455524
  • Product: 8455524

  • Joy & Ken Wild Firs Pottery Sculptural Vase | Hand-Built Stoneware, Cheshire Studio Pottery

  • £62.00

:  at  £62.00  each

I picked this piece because it is wonderfully strange – the sort of studio pottery that makes you stop and look twice. Handmade by Joy and Ken Wild at The Firs Pottery in Aston, Nantwich, Cheshire, this substantial stoneware vessel has an extraordinary sculptural surface built up from looping and intertwined strands of clay. The upper section is particularly striking, with thick applied coils twisting around one another to create an almost organic, root-like structure. Further applied decoration circles the base, while the quieter textured central section gives the elaborate clay work room to stand out. The natural cream, oatmeal and soft earthy brown colouring suits the form beautifully and gives the piece a wonderfully tactile, almost architectural quality. THE POTTERY The original maker's label remains on the base and reads: “Ceramics Hand-Made by Joy and Ken Wild The Firs Pottery Aston, Nantwich, Cheshire” Joy and Ken Wild produced handmade ceramics from The Firs Pottery in Cheshire. Their work included functional pottery alongside much more individual sculptural forms, making pieces such as this particularly interesting examples of their work. Unlike mass-produced decorative ceramics, the character here comes from the evidence of the maker's hand. The irregularities, applied clay and textured surfaces are integral to the design. The surviving original Firs Pottery label is a particularly nice feature and gives the piece a firm maker and pottery attribution. MEASUREMENTS Approx. 20 cm high Approx. 10 cm wide CONDITION Very good vintage condition. Please study the photographs carefully as they form part of the description. The handmade nature of the piece means there are variations in the clay, glaze, texture and construction which are part of its character rather than manufacturing uniformity. A genuinely unusual piece of British studio pottery that would look superb displayed on its own, particularly in an earthy, rustic, Brutalist or mid-century inspired interior. Some things deserve a second look.