Stoneware | C20Ceramics

Oct 26

Denby Cotswold

I havent posted a new article to this site in ages, although I have been maintaining and updating posts in the background with new information as I come across it.

This new post I couldn’t resist though – It has always been one of my favourite Denby designs, but until recently hadn’t actually had a piece in real life.

The design is Cotswold and was part of a series designed by Glyn Colledge in 1973 and in production until 1982. The series was “The Country Fayre Collection” and consisted of Sable, Chiltern And Costwold.

Cotswold holloware has the most wonderful hand textured dark brown exterior (which Ive seen described as either “bark” or “avocado skin”) combined with a subtly iron speckled satin gloss warm brown glaze. Inside the hollow ware pieces is a contrasting satin white glaze. The flatware has a freely hand-painted floral spray in light browns and ochres on the satin white glaze.

The pieces such as the cups, jugs etc would have been hand thrown and decorated and the flat pieces jiggered or jollied as was the Denby production process for dinnerware in this era.

As with all Denby from this era, it is stoneware, tough as nails, lasts for decades, and from a time when Denby Pottery (and most other pottery production) was led by good design, and skilled designers.

Denby Cotswold Jug – Design by Glyn Colledge 1973

Denby Cotswold 1970s — Denby Cotswold 1973, Glyn Colledge Designer

Denby Cotswold Trio- Design by Glyn Colledge 1973

NOTE: there is also an earlier and different Denby “Cotswold” designed by Kenneth Clark in 1956 using the shapes of the Gourmet range, with a satin white glaze and bold sgraffito decoration to the underlying clay body. It seems incredibly rare now and I have yet to spot a piece in real life.

Denby Cotswold Vesion 1, Designed by Kenneth Clark 1956 – Image via eBay

Jul 27

Gerd Bogelund, Royal Copenhagen

Gerd worked at Royal Copenhagen while studying until 1942, then briefly worked at Saxbo before returning to Royal Copenhagen in 1946 as an Artist in Residence for many years. Her work is highly sought after by collectors, but hard to find here in Australia.

Hjorth Pottery Denmark – Ulla Hjorth

Ulla Hjorth (b. 1945), the daughter of Eric Hjorth (who in turn was great grandson of founder Lauritz Hjorth 1834-1912) started at Hjorth Pottery on Bornholm, Denmark, in 1962 and worked there until its closure in 1992. Along with her sister Marie Hjorth, they were the last operators of the Hjorth Pottery from 1982 until its closure and then development into a museum in 1992-1995.

Ulla’s work is beautifully functional and elegant at the same time. I especially love her lidded forms. The decoration she chooses compliments, and is united with the form, and is not merely “surface decoration”. The decoration often consists of a combination of simple geometric forms with beautifully brushed line-work, on top of a simple stoneware glaze.

Her pottery as far as I am aware is all stoneware, with simple timeless glazes.

When doing a bit of research for this entry I noticed that the Bornholms Musuem has an updated entry on Hjorth Pottery entitled “The Women at Hjorth’s Factory”.

In the section on potter Ulla Hjorth it says:

Ulla was educated at the School of Arts and Crafts in Copenhagen in 1969 and is very much into the functional. The factory’s tradition was combined with new impressions from the School of Arts and Crafts. Ulla Hjorth works with stoneware and mainly manufactures utility items in simple, classic shapes and glazes. Her work has been characterized as utility ceramics with qualities beyond the purely practical. “I emphasize that a teapot must be functional and that it is united with the shape” she said.

See previous articles on L Hjorth pottery in the navigation table to the right of the page.