This beautiful and absorbing book explores the remarkable collection of 'Professional Yorkshireman' W.A. Ismay MBE (1910-2001), the UK's most prolific collector of post-war British studio pottery. "I really do not know any employment of money more productive of an enhancement of one's daily life than that of buying good pots for daily use - they are so agreeable to handle that even washing-up becomes a pleasure rather than a chore!" W.A. Ismay W.A. Ismay amassed over 3,600 pieces by more than 500 potters between 1955 and 2001. Surrounded by his family of pots, he lived in a tiny terraced house in Wakefield, Yorkshire, and left his collection and its associated archive to the city of York upon his death. This eclectic collection contains objects created by many of the most significant potters working in the UK, such as Lucie Rie, Hans Coper, Bernard Leach and Michael Cardew, as well as examples of work by lesser-known makers. Once he discovered a potter, Ismay supported them throughout their career, carefully assembling groups of work that off er succinct visual overviews of development in style and skill. What would become known as Ismay's Yorkshire Tea Ceremony encapsulates all the aspects of collecting handmade pottery which were important to him. Seeing himself as a temporary custodian of his collection, rather than the owner, he was keen to allow access and share it. Ismay enjoyed inviting people into his home, encouraging them to pick up items and experience them haptically. This social side of collecting generated close friendships which are revealed through the anecdotes, gossip, obsessions, opinions and touching gestures of support documented within Ismay's archive. The archive is a monumental and unique creation, which documents his extraordinary life and reveals intriguing glimpses into the development of his character, as well as the personal and societal changes that impacted his interests and activities. New academic research into a little-studied collection and archive explores Ismay's journey as a collector. This book offers fresh perspectives on a marginalized area of British modernism. Tracing the collection's journey from private to public ownership illuminates issues surrounding the acquisition by a museum of a large personal collection and archive, revealing the transformative effect it has had on both curatorial practice and the ambition of regional public institutions. The W.A. Ismay Collection offers a well-documented example of the valuable contribution collectors can make to the British studio ceramics movement. The publication of this research marks 20 years since the W.A. Ismay Collection moved from private to public ownership and to celebrate that anniversary, an exhibition of the collection will take place at York Art Gallery's Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA).

The Miller Ceramic Art Collection features masterpieces highlighting the artistic ideals of numerous luminaries of mid-twentieth century to early twenty-first century American ceramic art. In addition, the collection includes important examples of European and Japanese ceramic artworks of the same period. Marlin Miller's profound understanding of materials began with ceramic engineering. His interest in brick and its role in architecture informs a keen eye for surface texture, dimension and materiality. The publication is a comprehensive presentation of one of the world's most distinguished private collections of contemporary studio ceramics, and an observation on the correlation between ceramics and architecture. With contributions by Meghen Jones, Sequoia Miller, Michael McKinnell and Wayne Higby.

WINNER OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC CIRCLE AWARD 2021 A fascinating exploration of the inspiration behind, and development of, classically inspired sculpture and other ornamental wares in black basalt, the famous stoneware perfected by Josiah Wedgwood in 1768. Wedgwood, with prescience, said of his new creation: 'Black is Sterling and will last forever.' This volume presents approximately 120 examples of ornamental black basalt, including portrait busts, statues, and vases, ewers, and other fully three-dimensional, ornamental forms. Works in low relief include tablets, plaques, medallions, and cameos. The volume also features essays by renowned subject specialists and individual, fully illustrated catalogue entries which will be grouped into three chapters and organized according to the era-Classical Antiquity, 16th- and 17th-Centuries, 18th Century-of the design sources used by Wedgwood and his contemporaries to create their basalt wares.

Parian - a high-quality, unglazed porcelain - was developed in the early 1840s by Copeland & Garrett, which was the first company to exhibit it in 1845. Its purpose was to provide small sculptures for the public at a time when full size marble statues were gracing the homes of wealthy people. Parian - Copeland's Statuary Porcelain tells this fascinating story in detail, beginning with its origin and introduction. The book goes on to describe the manufacturing processes of mould-making and the casting of the figures. Also included is a comprehensive catalogue of Copeland's productions of statuettes, groups and portrait busts.