William Fishley Holland, Clevedon Pottery, large studio pottery fish jug, c1955

Size:  21.5 cm (9 inches) tall.  Hold a maximum of 4 pints when completely full.

Condition: Very good condition, no chips cracks or restoration.  Some crazing to the glaze inside near the spout.

This fine jug was made at pottery founded by William Fishley Holland, at Clevedon Pottery in Somerset. It is beautifully hand thrown, with a typical scrolled handle applied with a nice  thumb pad at the top, and it is decorated with bold fish and naturalistic designs.

It bears the signature of William Fishley Holland (used between 1945 and 1959), but it could have been partly of wholly made by other workers at the pottery, possibly his son George Tonkin Holland. It demonstrates the use of the manganese grey slip which George developed in the 1950s.  The decoration and lining of the jug is then created using white slip, which shows turquoise when the final overall glaze (developed by William) is applied.

The jug is a great example of a mid century take on the tradition slipware pottery which the Fishley family had been making since the 18th century.  William Fishley Holland himself was a potter for over 50 years, first in Devon and then later in Somerset.  The Fishley Holland business finished at the end of the 1960s but had a huge influence on British Studio pottery, including that of potters who were trained at the pottery, such as Michael Cardew.

See "The Fishleys of Fremington", John Edegler, 2008, particularly pages 97-101.