Stoneware Large Vase with Ash Glaze
MakerMade by
Ray Finch
(London, England, 1914 - 2012)
MakerMade by
Winchcombe Pottery
(Winchcombe, England, founded 1926)
StudentTaught by
Michael Cardew
(Wimbledon, London, England, 1901 - 1983)
StudentTaught by
Dora Billington
(Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, 1890 - 1968)
CollectorCollected by
Sandy Dunbar
(London, England, 1929 - 2012)
Datelate 20th-early 21th Century
Object NameVase
Mediumstoneware, slips and ash glazes
ClassificationsCeramics
DimensionsOverall (Height x Width): 366 x 227 mm,
Rim (Diameter): 131 mm
Base (Diameter): 125 mm
Rim (Diameter): 131 mm
Base (Diameter): 125 mm
AcquisitionThe Sandy Dunbar Studio Ceramics Collection presented in 2023 by Crinan Dunbar and Rebecca Russell.
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDMS095708.354
About MeStoneware tall vase with ovoid body, concave neck and everted rolled rim. It is fully glazed in a speckled white slip with an iron brown glaze on the exterior, which flows over the rim. In addition, a speckled black glaze (possibly Winchcombe's AK glaze) and two greenish ash glazes cover the exterior, creating a mottled appearance.
It is decorated with combed bands around the shoulder, centre body and foot, revealing iron brown below the ash glazes. Meandering combed waves and abstract swirls around the body also decorate the pot. Combing is a decorative technique where a comb of wood, or another material, is drawn through the slip before it is fully dry to create a pattern. This technique was frequently used at Winchcombe.
Ray Finch was one of the UK's leading makers of tableware at the Winchcombe Pottery near Cheltenham, where he led a team of talented potters. He embedded his own work within the standard domestic ware made at the workshop, making a limited number of distinctive larger pieces, including jugs, platters and plates. These are marked with his personal modified mark of WP (Winchcombe Pottery) followed by a small dot.
