Michael Cardew

Michael Cardew was described by Bernard Leach, as being his best pupil, so I think that he does at least deserve his own thread here on the Forum.

Not only that he was one of the most significant potters of the British studio pottery movement and arguably one of the finest slipware potters of all time.

The slipware that he produced at the Leach Pottery and at Winchcombe has become most sought after in recent times but you are going to have to make do with an image of a stoneware tenmoku jug, I'm afraid.

The jug above was made at his pottery at Wenford Bridge in Cornwall probably during the early 1970s and it had the Wenford Bridge mark as well as Cardew's personal seal as shown below: -



..... and yes you are correct these seals are from another pot rather than the jug but are identical.

Most of his earlier slipware was made at Winchcombe where most of his work would be marked with the Winchcombe seal and personal seal, as shown below: -

a large but damaged Cardew Bowl 4" high 14" diameter , chipped rims and cracks throughout , but solid just the same .

Is this one right? - I asked SP and he kindly mentioned that it may be a shape from perhaps 1927-30? Got it today and has small chip just above the handle :(  It looks grubby enough to be right?

Anyone have a strong opinion one way or another?

165mm high

I don't have a problem with it; it does look early. Not come across one in an octagonal shaped stamp but he kept the same font for his C so that looks right. Has a Fishley Holland look to the slip decoration which would also point to it being early.

It's funny you should mention Fishley Holland as the first name I thought of when I noticed the MC is Michael Cardew and he learned to pot with Fishley Holland. A quick google does support that also as the Winchombe mark for Michael is the same as the one in the pic.

A very nice thing and in pretty high demand these days.

Looks right to me anyway.

I'm not an expert on slipware but it does look right to me. My only concern was that it didn't cost as much as I thought it should have done but it is that time of the year.

It wasn't advertised as Cardew, just as as unknown studio pottery jug. I have a bit or two of Finch and Tustin but was a bit concerned - it was as SP say on the a little on the cheap side.

Bargains do happen at this time of year. People seem to turn off the computers and forget to look. My father and I just bought a mountain of 1930's Poole at auction at prices well below what we expected. It's a good time to be hunting.

Michael Cardew at the Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge

At the Fitzwilliam Cambridge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKqoCcg0jek

Interesting footage of an elderly Michael Carew in full flight.

Wonderful - I downloaded it for keeps. I twitched right at the start when he jerks that big jug up by the handle.

Even master potters have an off day - a wonky MC Wenford Bridge piece.

That is so wierd, I had a very dark brown unglazed MC wonky goblet some years ago!

Nothing wrong with wonky goblets in my book.

I imagine that any potter is going to get things like that from most of their firings. It depends what you do with them.

A relative of Cardew's is a customer of mine and he remembers mending pots in his school holidays for Michael, so that they were saleable.

I also remember some years ago meeting another relative, who said that whenever they visited Michael they were always persuaded to buy something he hadn't able to sell to anyone else.

Made 1935.At the Walker Art Gallery,Liverpool.

A group of stoneware Wenford Bridge pots all with Cardew's personal seal and pottery seal.

An earthenware dinner plate from the 1930s with the Winchcombe impressed seal and Cardew's personal seal.

An interesting piece. Henry Bergen was a well known early collector and of Bernard Leach and Michael Cardew's pottery. His collection was donated to the Stoke Museums, where it forms the core of their collection of Studio pottery. He was particularly friendly with Michael Cardew, and participated in the making and decorating process at Winchcombe pottery in the 30's .This 1935 bowl has both the HB and MC and Winchcombe seals. 12.5 ins in diameter.

An Abuja,Nigeria pottery 'Gwari casserole.
Impressed MC and Abuja pottery seals. circa 1960. 33 cms.