Lucie Rie Leads Bonhams Ceramics Sale Of Renowned 20th-Century Studio Potters

15 juin 2018

Lucie Rie Leads Bonhams Ceramics Sale Of Renowned 20th-Century Studio Potters

Lot 154^AR.Dame Lucie Rie (British, Austrian 1902-1995), An Early Vienna-Period Vase, circa 1935; height 16cm, painted 'L.R.G. Wien'. Estimate £ 30,000 - 50,000 (€ 34,000 - 57,000). Courtesy Bonhams.

LONDON - An early Vienna-Period Vase, circa 1935, by Dame Lucie Rie (1902-1995), leads Bonhams Decorative Arts and Contemporary Ceramics sale on Wednesday 20 June in the Knightsbridge saleroom. The vase, with an estimate of £30,000-50,000, is offered in a sale that features world-famous 20th-century studio potters – such as Hans Coper, John Ward and Bernard Leach – and contemporary ceramists, including the 2018 Loewe Craft Prize Winner Jennifer Lee.

Head of 20th Century Decorative Arts and Design, Mark Oliver, said 'Lucie Rie and her peers, Hans Coper and John Ward, are astonishingly strong in the market at the moment. The new generation's interest for modern pottery has increased values for pieces by these visionary artists. We are pleased that all three are represented in our upcoming sale.'

'We are also finding that the contemporary ceramics are increasingly popular. This area of the market has grown in recent years, amongst both established collectors and younger enthusiasts.'

There are 18 examples of Lucie Rie's work in the Bonhams sale. Long sought-after by collectors, the pieces trace the evolution of her career from the 1930s to the 1980s. The earliest work – Rie's rustic Vienna-Period Vase – is glazed on unfired red clay to give a volcanic, pitted surface, while her 1980 porcelain Footed Bowl, thin with precise sgraffito design and a golden manganese rim, is characteristic of her more delicate later work. Rie's close friends, Hans Coper, (b. 1920) and Bernard Leach, (b. 1887) are also represented in the sale. Coper started his career working for Rie and later became a partner in her studio while Leach, who merged craft traditions of east with west, is also regarded as a leading figure in British studio pottery in the mid-20th century.

Some of UK's rising stars in contemporary ceramics are also part of the sale. To highlight this work, Bonhams specially commissions works to be offered. For June's auction, Nichola Theakston (b.1967) has created a single-edition model of a Silverback Gorilla in terracotta paperclay, (estimated £5,000-7,000); while a vase by Jennifer Lee, winner of the 2018 Loewe Foundation Craft Prize and known for utilising traditional techniques through her method of colouring – mixing metallic oxides into clay - has an estimate of £3,000-5,000.

Highlights in the sale include:

Lot 163. Dame Lucie Rie (British, Austrian 1902-1995), A Footed Bowl, circa 1975; diam 17.7cm, height 8.8cm, impressed artist's seal. Estimate £25,000-30,000. Courtesy Bonhams.

porcelain, of wide conical form raised on a slender circular foot, the pink glaze with inlayed vertical linear design, jade green internal and external band, wide golden manganese bands to the rim and foot.

Lot 144^AR.Magdalene Odundo, OBE (Kenyan/British, 1950-), A Sculptural Vessel, 1984; height 31.5cm, incised 'Odundo' and '84'. Estimate £20,000-25,000 (€ 23,000 - 29,000). Courtesy Bonhams.

terracotta, hand-built burnished and carbonised surface, the bulbous body with neck leading into an organic, angled, trumpet mouth with wide inverted lip, incised and raised peaking shaping lines, the mixed-colour finish depicts soft orange cloud-forms against black .

Exhibited: Examples of Udundo's work can be found in museums across the world; including The British Museum and the V&A, London; and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Lot 145^AR.Hans Coper (German, 1920-1981) A Footed Cup, circa 1974; height 14.3cm, impressed artist's seal. Estimate £10,000-15,000 (€ 11,000 - 17,000). Courtesy Bonhams.

stoneware, raised on a cylindrical foot, the cup with four pinched sections, porcelain slip over a textured surface, glaze in tones of cream, brown and pale blue/grey.

Provenance: Peter Dingley Gallery, Stratford upon Avon, UK.

Lot 120^AR.Bernard Leach (British, 1887-1979), A Bottle Vase, circa 1952; height 35cm, impressed artist's seal with St. Ives Pottery mark. Estimate £5,000-8,000 (€ 5,700 - 9,200). Courtesy Bonhams.

stoneware, the pale green/cream glaze to the body decorated with six pairs of leaping fish in a grey glaze .

Provenance: Comes with original receipt of purchase from the Red Rose Guild of Craftsman c/o The Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester.

Lot 136^AR.John Ward, (British, 1938), A geometric pattern vase, circa 1990; height 23.5cm, impressed artist's seal. Estimate £3,000-5,000 (€ 3,400 - 5,700). Courtesy Bonhams.

stoneware, of rounded form with an angled collar, matt black and white glaze alternating tapering panels over a softly textured surface.

Lot 162^AR.Dame Lucie Rie (British, Austrian 1902-1995), A Footed Bowl, circa 1980; height 8.5cm, diam 17.8cm, impressed artist's seal. Estimate £15,000 - 20,000 (€ 17,000 - 23,000). Courtesy Bonhams.

porcelain, incised sgraffito linear design in manganese against a cream glaze, highlighted with pale green bands, with manganese foot and golden manganese rim.

Provenance: Purchased from Markswood Gallery, 10th Dec 1980.

Posté par Alain Truong à 20:03 - Commentaires […] - Permalien [#]

Tags: Bernard Leach, Hans Coper, Dame Lucie Rie, Magdalene Odundo, John Ward