Vintage Peter Fishley Holland Studio Pottery Vase with Incised Decoration

I picked this vase for the contrast between its softly coloured crackle glazes and the energetic decoration running around its lower body. The restrained blue-grey and earthy brown palette is wonderfully subtle, but the textured surface gives it plenty of character when viewed closely.

Hand-thrown by British potter Peter Fishley Holland, the vase has a rounded body, defined shoulder and gently flared cylindrical neck. Bands of blue-grey and tobacco-brown glaze divide the form, while the lower section carries lively incised and impressed decoration beneath a glossy finish. The potter’s mark is impressed into the base.

Peter Fishley Holland was the seventh generation of the renowned Fishley family of craft potters, whose pottery tradition began in North Devon around 1800. He established his own studio at Clevedon in Somerset in the late 1960s before moving to Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders during the late 1970s. His work continued the family’s strong tradition of wheel-thrown, functional pottery enriched with expressive surface decoration.

Likely dating from the 1970s or 1980s, this vase combines traditional craft-pottery techniques with the earthy colours and tactile decoration associated with British studio ceramics of the period.

Its rounded form and muted palette would sit particularly well on a dark wooden shelf, sideboard or mantelpiece. It has enough detail to stand alone but would also work within a small collection of neutral British studio pottery.

Condition

Very good vintage condition with no chips and no noticeable wear. The glaze displays an all-over crackled or crazed appearance, visible in the photographs, which contributes to its textured finish.

Measurements

• Height: approximately 16 cm

• Width: approximately 18 cm

A distinctive and highly decorative piece from one of Britain’s longest-established pottery families.