Michael Cardew (1902-1983) - Lidded Preserve Jar for Wenford Bridge Pottery

Michael Cardew (1902-1983)

Twin handled lidded preserve jar 

Stoneware with cream glaze with iron and cobalt decoration

Wenford Bridge Pottery

20 cm high

19 cm diameter

Michael Cardew was a highly influential British studio potter, teacher, and writer, and a central figure in the 20th-century studio pottery movement. One of Bernard Leach's first students at St Ives, he is often cited as sharing the same importance within the development of studio pottery in the 20th Century, through the revitalising effect he had on British slip ware traditions. Leach always stated that he was his best pupil and balanced a pure potter's technique with intense intellectualism that produced striking and original designs.  

Cardew embraced the philosophy of functional, wheel-thrown pottery rooted in traditional craftsmanship. He later established major pottery workshops in England, most notably Winchcombe Pottery, and went on to work extensively in West Africa, where he hoped to revive and develop indigenous pottery traditions. Cardew was also a respected author, best known for Pioneer Pottery, which became a foundational text for studio potters.

This lidded jar dates from his time at Wenford Bridge Pottery, which he established in Cornwall in 1939. Built around a historic watermill site, the pottery became Cardew’s long-term base and a key centre for British studio pottery.