Currently held on consignment at Andrews Oakville
This elegantly sculptural, hand-built, and glazed studio art ceramic lamp is of British Modernist design by Peter Ellery for his Cornish pottery studio Tremaen Pottery (1965 - 1988). Ellery's work features a heavy influence from the Cornish environment where the Tremaen studio was based. Influences such as sea-washed pebbles, rocks, and boulder-shaped forms, and Cow Parsley from abundant hedgerows inspired the décor, as are traces of rough-hewn stone harbour walls and whitewashed fishermen's cottages. Many pieces have an organic feel, being deliberately weathered or textured.
This particular piece comes from the Zennor series, Zennor is the Cornish village made famous by the medieval carving of a mermaid inside the parish church of St Senara and one of the last places where residents spoke traditional Cornish). The design reflects the echoes of Celtic influences as well as textural references to the Cornish coastal landscape in its sea-smoothed pebble form, texture, and palette. As with Ellery's other works, this piece would have been constructed as well as glazed with unconventional techniques, as was Ellery's style. The overall composition is characterised by its exceptionally tactile and organic qualities, shaped like a stone carving smoothed by the ocean tide revealing the layers of its inner strata. The glazing is textured and touch inviting, the palette begins with a base of natural stoneware clay in matte Sand that is then elevated with the silky swathes of semi-matte glaze in tones of Warm Honey, Milk White, and Caramel brown.
This stunning piece actualises many key principles of Modernist design influence, with a focus on combining function with bringing forth the beauty in the natural material.
The design, palette, and condition of this piece make it an exceptional and rare find.
CONDITION
Excellent. No chips, cracks, or repairs. There is faint wear to the protective felting on the underside of the base that is commensurate with the age of the piece. Please see photographs as they form part of the condition report. The underside of the base is fitted with protective felting and also bears Tremaen's original label. Lamp takes standard A-series Bayonet bulb.
MEASUREMENTS
Height: c. 10.2" / 26 cm high (excluding bulbholder) c. 12" / 30.3 cm (including bulbholder). Width c. 7.9" / 20 cm (across the widest point) x depth: c. 4.7" / 12 cm. Base measurements: c. 4.7" / 12 cm x c. 7.9" / 20 cm. Weight: c. 2.0 kg / 1,970 g. Lamp takes standard A-series Bayonet bulb with a European plug fitting.
A BIT OF HISTORY
Peter Ellery, Tremaen Pottery (1965 - 1988)
Tremaen pottery was first set up by Peter Ellery in Marazion, UK in 1965, typically creating large-scale pieces using unconventional techniques in both construction and glazing. His work quickly gained appreciation and popularity, and within 2 years Tremaen pottery moved to larger premises in Newlyn with the workforce expanding to twelve to cope with demand.
Although work continued to be by hand, the range of pieces produced by Tremaen expanded to include smaller scale and figural pieces. Tremaen's work maintained its popularity but sadly, the recession of the early 1980s created increasing economic difficulties. Ellery sustained Tremaen's production until 1988 when he made the decision to close the pottery.