Louis Hudson lamp base. Another Cornish gem.

Following on from my earlier blogpost on Carn pottery, this rustic, earthy looking ceramic lampbase is another nice example of studio pottery from Cornwall.

Made by Louis Hudson, probably in the 1970s, the bottle shaped lamp base has a wonderfully textured design of raised and impressed motifs. I particularly like the warmth of the clay colour and the restrained use of the glazes.

For more information of the studio potteries of Cornwall there's an excellent digital museum here: Cornish ceramics museum. The site has an excellent maker's marks section for identifying pottery from the region.

Portmeirion storage jars. Simplicity is the key.

Made by Portmeirion Pottery in the late 1960s or early 1970s, these two large storage jars were designed by Susan Williams-Ellis.

The pattern is Greek Key. As regular visitors to Potshots will know, I'm a bit of a sucker for cylinder-shaped pots, like these: Cylinders on Potshots and these: more cylinders, I think I must be attracted by the simplicity of them. Another nice feature of these vintage storage jars is the way that the bands of black printed borders are confined to the very top and bottom of the jars - leaving lots of that bright coloured body showing in between. The nicely turned wooden lids fit snugly and the contrasting bright orange and lime green colours seem to work well when displayed together.

Carn pottery. Growing up fast.

Troika pottery, from Cornwall, has had a spectacular rise to fame over the last decade or so. It's grown to become one of the most collectable, sought-after ranges of UK studio pottery. I must admit, I'm a big fan myself – as you can see here Troika on Potshots and here more Troika.

But Troika has a sort of little brother. Not really a poor relation, and not a poor man's Troika by any means. Carn pottery, also from Cornwall (Penzance), is growing up fast. It's not surprising that Carn pottery is becoming increasingly popular. there are some very nice items in the range.

Subdued colour schemes, textured surfaces and panels of abstract design all combine to give a sense that these attractive studio pots have a real hand-made, hand-crafted quality.

As Carn pottery is still quite reasonably priced, it may be a good time to pick up a couple of carefully chosen pieces. Who knows, one day it may enjoy some of the fame that Troika has had.

The vase shown here probably dates from the early 1970s.

Rorstrand Red Top.

Elegant details, subtle graphics and a simplicity of form. All combined to give this understated range a timeless appeal. I love the way that the black and white colour scheme is punctuated with that bold dash of deep red.

This is Red Top, designed by Marianne Westman for Rorstrand, Sweden. Made in the 1950s, Red Top somehow manages to be typical of the design style of the 1950s, and also still be modern-looking today.

Looking at websites that carry images of Marianne Westman's work, it would seem that Red Top and other ranges by the designer are much admired in Japan. I wonder if it's the purity of style that appeals to collectors there. It's certainly one of my personal favourites.
 

Fish wall plaque from 1972.

I like the dark, cool colours on this circular wall plaque. The stylised fish in the illustration looks as if it's moving through deep water.

The circular plaque is made from dark brown clay and the glazes have a subtle textured look. I have an idea that there were several versions of this plaque, each with a different coloured background and different illustration.

The plaque was made in 1972 by Hornsea Pottery. It's described by Hornsea as a wall plaque but I suppose it could also be used as a teapot stand.

Either way, it's a stylish bit of retro design.

Mdina glass vases

I seem to have strayed off into glass recently, so I thought I'd continue the theme with this quick blogpost on a couple of Mdina vases.

I occasionally come across Mdina glass on my travels, some of it is little bit ordinary but some of it looks quite good. I like the vases with simple shapes best. I think the flat tops on the necks of these two vases are a nice touch. The green and sand colour scheme seems to be very typical but I also like the more subtle, simplified colour scheme of the larger vase.

I have some more Mdina vases and hope to do a blogpost on them sometime soon.

Mdina glass was produced in Malts. I would say these vases date from the mid-1970s.