Svend Bayer, British studio pottery stoneware wood fired large storage jar c1990

Size:  37 cm tall (14.5 inches) - please see image with can of tomatoes to get an idea.

Condition: Very good condition, no chips cracks or restoration.  There is one small unglazed area on the lid which looks like is is a "kiln pop".

Wood firing and ash glazes have created the surface decoration of this superb lidded storage jar.  The interior is a glossy grey-blue, the exterior with two contrasting sides, created by the different kiln draughts.  The ash glazes run an dribble over the jar, the bottom being unglazed and "toasted".  Like most of Svend's work, there is no maker's mark.

Svend Bayer has always been devoted to wood-firing and uses very few glazes, preferring to use the natural chemistry of the kiln to decorate his pots –and in this he is recognised internationally as a master.

He was born of Swedish parents in Uganda in 1946, and came to England when he was sixteen. He studied at Exeter University from 1965 to 1968 and started working with Michael Cardew at Wenford Bridge in 1969. In 1972 he joined the Brannam Pottery where he worked as a thrower for a year. After travelling in the Far East, Asia and the U.S.A., he set up his workshop in Devon. His work is all wheel thrown and is often monumental in proportions. He uses a wood-fired, cross-draught, single-chamber 800 cu.ft. kiln.  Along with Charles Bound, Nic Collins, Jon Fellows and Chuck Schwartz, Svend is one the the "Gnarly Dudes" who have staged exhibitions of wood-fired pottery together.

Michael Cardew said of Svend Bayer “I speak of him with awe and fear. He is more than just a potter, he is a force of nature...... He is easily my best pupil and I believe that his extreme facility will be very useful to his talent.”