The collection, which was amassed by a Lincoln man over the last 30 years, makes up the largest section of the sale at auctioneers Golding Young & Thos. Mawer on Wednesday, February 15. Auctioneer John Leatt said: "The vendor, who wishes to remain anonymous, collected these items of studio pottery over many years. The collection features important pieces by potter David Leach including a stoneware charger decorated in the Japanese style which is expected to sell for between £400 and £600. There are also several unusual pieces by Takeshi Taseda, Walter Keeler, Ray Finch and Richard Phethean.
"We have already received interest from collectors in the UK and overseas for the most sought-after pieces and expect enthusiastic bidding on sale day." The English studio potter David Leach OBE was the eldest son of Bernard Leach CBE, CH (1887-1979) who is regarded as the 'Father of British studio pottery'. Born in Tokyo in 1911, David was first taught to pot by his father's friend, the Japanese potter Shoji Hamada. He studied as a pottery manager at North Staffordshire Technical College and joined the family business, the Leach Pottery, in 1930, staying on and off for 25 years.
In 1953 he headed Loughborough College's ceramics department and established the Aylesford Pottery in 1954, moving to Bovey Tracey in Devon a year later to set up Lowerdown Pottery where he became known for his porcelain. He was chairman of the Craft Potters' Association of Great Britain in 1967 and exhibited widely in the UK as well as New York, Washington, Tokyo, Istanbul, Copenhagen, Rotterdam, Düsseldorf, Heidelberg and Munich.
In 1987, he was awarded the OBE for his work instudio pottery and his services to education. He died in 2005, aged 93, leaving three sons John, Jeremy and Simon who are all potters. The same collection also features a very strong section
of studio and art glass including makers such as Holmegaard, Siddy Langley, Whitefriars, John Ditchfield and Bibi Smit. The sale also includes a hand-built scale model of an American whaling boat in oar made by Captain Sumner of the Anchor Line in the 1920s, which is expected to sell for between £200 and £300. Mr Leatt said: "This model whaling boat was brought into one of our free Friday valuation clinics by the vendor. "We are expecting a great deal of interest in this lot from maritime collectors especially from America where there is a very strong group of buyers for anything related to the whaling industry."
An interesting group of medals awarded to former dentist Major G.E. Moss from Forest Town, Mansfield are expected to sell for between £80 and £120. The medals are a Great War for Civilisation medal, a 1914-18 medal and a City of Lincoln medal awarded for services in the Great War. Major Moss commanded the 6th Mansfield Battalion of the Home Guard from 1942 onwards. He was a native of Lincoln who joined the Lincolnshire Regiment in August 1914 and served in France that year, eventually moving to the Machine Gun Corp in 1917. On returning to the Western Front was attached to the 51st Highland division. He was later taken prisoner and on the cessation of hostilities, he retired from the army with the rank of Lieutenant.
The sale also features five longcase clocks, a good Victorian figured walnut pedestal desk as well as healthy sections of silver, jewellery, '00' gauge model railway, Royal Doulton, Beswick and Moorcroft figures and carnival glass. A sale of Market Gardening and Aquatics Bankruptcy Stock will be held at the Grantham saleroom on Saturday, February 11.
