Perfect Pieces Specialists in British Pottery

A few days ago, I reported on the impending launch of a new art collection inspired by Troika Pottery. I’m pleased to say that The Art House have now launched their new ‘Troika Collection 2008′ and it does look rather interesting.

The new collection is described as “modern textured art on canvas” and each piece has been named after a Cornish village - Marazion, for example. The photos give the impression that the artists have really captured the texture and colour of Troika’s textured wares and the designs have certainly captured the Troika Pottery style - without just directly copying it.

You can see full details of the collection here, including close-up photos and prices.

Troika Pottery’s collectable appeal has been stronger in recent years than at any time since its 1960s/70s heyday.

It’s perhaps not surprising, then, that contemporary art website “The Art House” will be producing a new studio collection of artwork paying homage to the designs and themes of the Troika Pottery.

The Troika Collection 2008 will be available soon on their website and you can find an example picture and a little more information on the The Art House Blog.

The single picture (the second one actually is Troika) doesn’t give much idea of what to expect, but I will certainly be interested to see what’s on offer and will post here when more information is available.

As I’ve mentioned before, decent British antique and collectable websites appear to be few and far between on the internet, but there are some.

One example is the Digital Museum of Cornish Ceramics.

It’s home to a huge range of information about many of the studio potteries that have been based in Cornwall over the years. Most notable for many collectors is its collection of information on Troika pottery marks and artists.

Although we also have a fairly wide selection of Troika marks and decorators’ marks, John Mole, the curator of the Cornish Ceramics Museum site, is in touch with many of the original artists at Troika and has been able to verify many of the trickier and more controversial marks - making his site a very useful reference tool.

John also has a fairly comprehensive guide to Troika pottery designs and shapes.

Although the site covers a vast range of other material, I have concentrated on Troika as it is currently one of the most popular and collectable of Cornish potteries.

Also notable and popular at present are the work of the Leach Pottery and that of Carn Pottery, which is still active today.

A note of warning on Carn pottery: If you go to an antique and collectors fair around the UK and see large amounts of the blue/white carn for sale, be aware that it is probably new or very nearly so. Pieces such as these are still being made in considerable quantities and are available from gift shops and the like in Cornwall for quite competitive prices:

Be warned and a little sceptical if anyone tries to tell you they are hard to get hold of. Only older pieces are hard to find. See http://www.fired-specialists-of-carn-pottery.com/ for an excellent book on Carn.