The state of clay

摘要

My interest in the murky world of British studio pottery is a recent one, sparked by a reading of Edmund de Waal's excellent biography of Bernard Leach. It has proved a dangerous flirtation. Last month I made an eye-wateringly expensive eBay purchase of a set of Leach standard ware - the crockery for everyday use produced to Leach's designs by the curious assortment of art school graduates, boho-aristos and "local lads" who staffed his St Ives pottery in the middle years of the last century.