Denby Ode

Denby Ode (glaze and pattern) was created by Glynn Colledge,  issued by Denby in 1961 and in production until about the late 1970’s.

I love the colour of the satin-matt mustard glaze – referred to by Denby as Antique Gold. The colour also matches the stoneware body really well, and contrasts with the bright white interior of many of the forms. The plates from “Ode” are stunning pieces of design with their beautiful Greek key sgraffito design in white.

Gill Pemberton tells me that the forms for this series were actually designed by Kenneth Clark who also designed the Gourmet range – a shape that was later used for Studio, as well as Ode and Echo (a blue version of Ode).

We don’t hear much of Kenneth Clark (1922 -2012) these days, but click on the link on his name above to read about his importance to British Design in the 20th century.

He took a domestic product that had become boring in its ubiquity and transformed it with technical knowledge and design flair into a vehicle of delight and usefulness. His designs honoured the traditions of studio pottery while incorporating the technical innovations of commercial potteries