Hans Coper

When Phillips held an auction in London on November 10 in association with Maak Contemporary Ceramics of selections from the collection of Dr John P Driscoll, it produced a number of record-breaking prices for Hans Coper (1920-81) and ended with a new auction high for the studio potter of £520,000 (ATG No 2518).

Records were set for studio pottery when the collection of the late New York art dealer Dr John P Driscoll was sold last week.

Once dismissed as a mere Hans Coper follower, the studio potter is now in rising demand

Two November sales underlined the current strength of the field of British studio pottery.

Nottingham auction house Mellors & Kirk (20% buyer’s premium) added to the cautiously feel-good mood created by some highly successful autumn sales in the provinces when strong private buying brought impressive results across the board.

Peter Dingley (1923-2018), who died last year aged 95, is a name synonymous with the best of modern British craft. David Whiting, author of 'Modern British Potters & Their Studios' (2009), described him as “a remarkable member of the small band of post-war pioneering gallerists who supported British ceramics”.

British studio pottery, once the preserve of a small number of devotees, currently ranks among the strongest subsets of the art and antiques market. In the first element of a two-part feature, ATG considers the London market.

A sensational result emerged for the artist-potter Hans Coper (1920-81) at the 20th Century & Contemporary sale at Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood in Exeter.

Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood of Exeter plans to hold its first-ever 20th century and contemporary art and design sale later this month.

Overshadowed by the boom in Chinese works and contemporary art they may have been, but the rise in demand for British studio ceramics has been the talk of the market these last few years.