Looking back over these slides after several decades I’m constantly surprised by the variety of items that were held in the collection at Southall prior to the burglary and subsequent loss of a significant number of items – surely the largest collection of the Martin Brothers work in the U.K  since it was situated in the town where their pottery once stood on the banks of the Grand Union Canal.

Since the remaining pieces were moved to a new location at the new Dominion Centre a short distance away many more pieces have been acquired from various sources, some of which may be pieces that were stolen and are now reinstated – certainly Martinware continues to turn up regularly in auctions around the world and examples have sold for 6 figure sums in the U.S and elsewhere.

These small vases may be samples but also remind one of small Japanese vessels that could hold a single flower – they look a bit like sea urchins in design and again this reflects the influence of natural forms in the Arts & Crafts Movement that underpins the Martin Brothers’ work.

Posted on 26  / 03 / 2020