The Poole Studio 1962-1966 Updated 15th March 2009
Part 1 Plates and shallow dishes
Most serious collectors of post war Poole would acknowledge that the early sixties was the most creative era in the history of the Pottery. On a national scale this was an era of massive social change. Rationing in the 1950's had given way to a new age of post-war prosperity. This in turn gave birth to a generation inspired by a new self confidence, challenging the beliefs, traditions and stereotypes of the old guard. The Beatles and the Stones filled the airwaves and popular culture as we now know it was born. The world had changed for ever.
Robert Jefferson, a former lecturer in ceramics, was appointed designer at Poole Pottery in 1958 and is credited with the development of the Poole Pottery Studio. A designer rather than a thrower, Robert Jefferson worked alongside Guy Sydenham, the manager of the ‘making department’. The use of the latest glazes and experimental techniques (such as wax-resist) was encouraged both as a means of developing new products and of preserving the unique identity of the Pottery. No doubt there was also perceived to be a niche market for highly individual works of art (the retail cost of one plate would be more than a weeks wages for the artist).
A vacancy at the Poole Pottery Studio was advertised at the Poole Employment Exchange in 1962 and details were passed to other employment exchanges throughout Britain. In South Wales the vacancy came to the attention of Tony Morris. With no previous ceramic training, Tony was recruited by Robert Jefferson on the strength of his painting. The contribution of other paintresses to the output of the studio should not be understated. Some of the finest pieces illustrated here have not yet been attributed to a particular painter or paintress and some pieces are known to have been a collective effort, with one artist drawing and another ‘filling in’.
A cornerstone of the Studio philosophy was the encouragement of freedom of expression. Artists were not required to comply with factory pattern books from the past and there was no restriction on the choice of subject matter. In his autobiography 'A Potter's Life' Guy Sydenham describes a 'vibrant decade..full of creative energy and innovation'.
Only with hindsight can you assess whether (in cultural terms) a decade was genuinely important and consider the relative merit of its art. Some have suggested that the 1960's was the last great decade (perhaps the 70's is a close contender, but it would not be easy to nominate a decade since). We believe that the artists working from this small studio on the south coast captured the essence of the 1960's in a way which set it a mile apart from the earthenware factories of Stoke-on-Trent. We believe that in time the work of the Poole Studio will achieve the wider recognition it deserves.
There follows a representative selection of decorated plates and bowls made between 1962 and 1966. These were part of 'the Delphis Collection' launched in 1963 alongside the vases designed by Robert Jefferson which are illustrated in Part 2.
Above - shallow rimmed dishes by Tony Morris. The centre dish was described by Christies as an abstract harbourscape in their 1993 sale, but possibly shows a head and body within a shape which may be interpreted as a key. The lower dish depicts the crucifixion. This was a bold choice of subject matter and interpretation for an abstract piece in the early 1960's. The dishes are 11 inches wide and retailed at 4 guineas each. Tony Morris says that these were amongst the first pieces produced by the Studio, at a time when there was no pressure on the artist to meet production targets.
Above - rimmed dish by Tony Morris (14 inches). This piece was sold by Eaden Lilly in Cambridge and was part of the window display for the launch of the Delphis Collection in October 1963.
Face Plates
Faces were frequently incorporated into plate designs. Often described as 'sun-gods' many are wrongly attributed to Tony Morris, although Tony did produce some fine examples. The pieces below identified as being Tony's work either bear Tony's signature or have been acknowledged by Tony to have been produced by him.
Above and below - unsigned 8 inch plates. The plate on the top left is by Tony Morris
Below - three 10 inch plates, the top left plate signed by Tony Morris. The lower plate was named 'Night and Day' when sold by Christies in 1999.
Detail from the three 10 inch plates shown above
Above and below - Tony Morris coffee tables
Above - full size (16 inch) charger by Tony Morris, 1964-1966
Above - unsigned 14 inch charger
Above - bowl (approx 10 inches) unsigned
Above - striking full sized (16.5 inch) charger, unsigned
Above - 8 inch bowl, unsigned
Above - 10 inch plate, unsigned
Iconic full sized Tony Morris charger
Sun faces combine with a pollarded tree (see below) - Tony Morris
Pollarded trees
A theme found in designs at this time is a representation of a pollarded tree. Pollarding is an ancient means of keeping a tree to its original size by regular hard pruning. This gives rise to new growth, upwards and outwards from the trunk. The design has been attributed to Tony Morris and certainly Tony has produced some good (and,arguably, the best) examples, but it is likely that the design was adopted by other artists.
Left and centre, 10 inch plates. Right (not to scale!) - 8 inch plate, all unsigned. The centre and right hand plate by Tony Morris. The centre plate has had an interesting history which was documented in the former Collectors Club magazine. Ownership issues have now been resolved!
Oval plate, 16 inches across. Designed and painted by Tony Morris
Signed 14 inch plate, Tony Morris
Rather more stylised, but still recognisable as a pollarded tree with the sun behind. Although only an 8 inch plate, the colours are very strong and the unusual combination of pale blue and orange works well. Painted by Tony Morris
Horse shoes and geometry
Some abstract designs are defined by their geometric appearance. Shapes resembling horse shoes, sometimes at random on the 'canvas' are also found.
(Above left) - 14 inch plate with regular and irregular shapes set against the background of a pollarded tree. (Right) 14 inch plate with a geometric design by Tony Morris.
Symmetrical four tile panel by Tony Morris
(Above left) - Unsigned 10 inch plate. (Right - not to scale!) - 8 inch plate in a geometric design painted and signed by Ruth Pavely who was head of painting from 1950-1965. Ruth Pavely is better known for traditional pieces and her studio pieces are quite rare. For an 8 inch plate the design is quite complex and in keeping with the style of studio production at the time. If it were not signed it could easily be attributed to another artist, illustrating the danger of making assumptions based upon the style of the piece.
Above - 8 inch plates (unsigned) with designs incorporating horse shoe shapes
The left hand plate is by Tony Morris
This was a time of great experimentation and it is rare to find two patterns the same. The six plates above were known as Delphis Studio Ware Shape 3 in the factory catalogue. Although the studio range was named 'The Delphis Collection' , the use of the name Delphis is now associated with the more standardised production from 1966 onwards bearing the dolphin factory mark. The plates above are 8 inches in diameter and the retail price in 1963-4 was 1 guinea each. Most 8 inch studio plates (including these) are unsigned.
Above -an outstanding example of a geometric pattern on a full size charger
Above - an immense abstract statement by Tony Morris on a full size charger. Inspiration for the red crucible at the heart of the design was drawn from the steelworks of South Wales.
Sheeps' heads and town planning
14 inch Tony Morris 'sheep's head' (see below)
Robert Jefferson is quoted as saying "I seem to remember [Tony] was fascinated by sheep. If it was sheep, it was Tony" (from the 1993 Harry Lyons exhibition catalogue). Yet such is the nature of abstract art that the final design is so far removed from the schematised or simplified source that only an informed observer is aware of the connection. The 'progressive development of ideas' can be traced in Tony's later work (see Catalogue of an Exhibition - November 1999 - The Richard Dennis Gallery). Perhaps as more pieces from the Poole Studio come to light, the development of ideas at that time will become more apparent.
(Above left) - 14 inch plate by Tony Morris. The early orange glazes in these pieces are derived from uranium. (Right) - full size charger by Tony Morris. The design for both is a stylised version of a sheeps head, the downward stroke of the 'T' representing the sheep's neck and the circle to the left being the eye. The internal decoration is a progression from the detail on the Poole Town Plan which was on display in the Studio at the time.
Above - two plates with a similar theme to the two above. The plate on the left is 10 inches in diameter and the plate on the right is 14 inches. Both are by Tony Morris, and both were exhibited at the Harry Lyons exhibition in 1993.
A magnificent full size charger by Tony Morris. Although its origins are in town planning, the progression of the idea has been such that any link to the initial concept has been all but lost and the design can be viewed on a grander scale altogether.
Above - three 10 inch plates by Tony Morris showing the progression of an idea
Above left - heavily textured 10 inch plate. Right, rimmed 14 inch plate with uranium orange glaze, both by Tony Morris.
Space
Some designs with their origins in town planning have evolved into images of planets and space. Whilst some patterns are open to various interpretations, others have a definite unworldly element - notwithstanding that the planets probably began life as roundabouts in the mind of the artist.
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Full size charger by Tony Morris
Town planning or outer space? The left hand charger 14 inches, right hand plate 10 inches. The left hand plate shows use of the wax-resist technique. Both by TM
Above - unsigned and carved 10 inch plate with meticulous detail, difficult to show on a photographic image. From one perspective it shows a rocket and a red planet. Turned through 90 degrees clockwise it can be viewed as a fish or bird. Another suggestion (from a more informed source!) has been a circus scene with a red ball. Part of the charm of the early abstract pieces is that they are not always instantly accessible.
(Above left) 8 inch plate, unsigned. (Right) Oval dish by Tony Morris
Nature, realism and the Dorset landscape
Some studio pieces clearly took their inspiration from nature and the local surroundings. The tile panel shown below is perhaps unusual in that it shows more realism than some of the abstract pieces associated with the Poole Studio in the early 1960's.
Above and detail below - tile panel approx 3 feet long by 18 inches high, painted and mounted by Tony Morris in its original factory-made frame. The view is of Poole Harbour from below Evening Hill. Artists did not need to travel far for their inspiration.
(Above left) - The sun setting behind the twin chimneys of Poole Power Station (now demolished), observed on the return from a fishing trip out of Poole Harbour. (Right) - the sun setting across the beach and sea. Both plates 14 inches and decorated by Tony Morris. The right hand plate formerly belonged to Roy Holland who was Works Director at Poole Pottery from 1946 and 1962 before promotion to Managing Director, a position which he held until retirement in 1976.
Above - 14 inch wall plaque attributed to Robert Jefferson by Phillips in their British Design sale 2001. The plaque is heavily textured with thick beads of glaze using the wax-resist technique and still has its 12 guinea price label and possibly an exhibition label attached.
Above and below - oval plates by Robert Jefferson
(Above left) 8" plate with a coastal scene by Ruth Pavely. Right unsigned 10" plate by Tony Morris
(Above) tile panels by Tony Morris. There were several produced with similar designs showing the stylised spiny flower heads of the wild teasel.
Below - sculpture by Tony Morris, modelled as fish swimming around a column of seaweed and sea anemones.
Made from black basalt, this is a substantial piece in more ways than one, tipping the scales at over twenty pounds in weight and standing just under 16 inches high. It was made between 1964 and 1965 and closely resembled the panels on the main staircase in the former Craft Centre. It was not sold by the Pottery until 1970. The purchaser retained the original receipt describing the sculpture as a 'special work of art'. The sale price was forty seven pounds five shillings (45 guineas).
Above - Circus plate by Tony Morris (16 inches). This was the star of Christies 2001 sale. It also features in Robert Prescott-Walker's book, although the image in the book is shown in reverse. Tony describes this as one of the best plates he has ever made.
Above - abstract view of a family, mother and child on the left. This has been described as a beach scene, although we are not convinced. Full size and painted by Tony Morris
Miscellaneous abstract pieces
Inevitably there are one or two pieces that do not fit into a particular category and we include them here
Above - 14 inch charger, unsigned
Above - 8 inch plates in contrasting designs, the right hand plate reminiscent of a pea pod. Both pieces are unsigned, the left hand plate by Tony Morris.
Above - 8 inch plate by Tony Morris
Above - a rare 16 inch charger signed by Robert Jefferson
Above - 16 inch charger, unsigned
Above - a spectacular full-sized charger (unsigned). Keen observers with good eyesight or magnifying glasses will have noticed this piece on the wall of the new craft section in May 1966 - see photo on page 146 of Hayward and Atterbury.
Above - 16 inch oval plate by Tony Morris
Above and right - full sized wall plaque by Tony Morris and, unusually, incorporating Tony's initials as part of the design. The design was inspired by the sculptures of Eduardo Paolozzi who created animal presences ('frogs') in the 1950's by an accumulation of objects and detail including piano parts. The Tony Morris design shows a piano with four legs but the overall effect is that of an animal (our guess would be a sheep!). The background shows use of the wax-resist technique. In our opinion this is one of the best Tony Morris pieces to have come to the market in recent years.
After 1966
In one sense the Poole Pottery Studio was the victim of its own success. Such was the popularity of the Delphis range both at home and overseas that production was increased and more paintresses were recruited. Robert Jefferson left the Pottery at the end of 1965 and was not replaced by a full time designer. Although paintresses were (initially at least) given the freedom to create their own designs, in time financial rather than artistic considerations took precedence. Early glazes which were sometimes problematic (but which often gave the early pieces their character), were replaced by new glazes. To speed production (and in the interests of 'uniformity') the number of glazes available was reduced. By 1971 paintresses were paid according to the number of pieces they produced, with a minimum requirement per day; mass production had taken over from art and the principles of experimentation and free expression which were the cornerstones of the Studio philosophy were sacrificed on the altar of commercialism.