AN impressive collection of rare and high-quality Honiton pottery spanning the twentieth century is to go under the hammer at the next Chilcotts auction on March 13.

Lovingly assembled by an East Devon husband and wife over many years, the collection includes a quantity of spectacular and unusual pieces with many examples of work by Honiton potter, Charles Collard, who bought the pottery business in 1918 and ran it until his retirement in 1947.

A talented decorator, Charles Collard is best known for his signature colourful and complex designs, including the highly regarded Jacobean, Woodland and Persian patterns. These were mostly produced between the wars, and are what most people think of as typical Honiton pottery. However, the pottery also produced a variety of styles in line with the fashions and customer demands of the day, and these are well-represented in the sale.

“When we unwrapped the contents of the boxes we were excited to discover a number of items that we don’t often see, particularly a group of pottery animals created in a naïve style,” said Liz Chilcott of Chilcotts Auctioneers, who has previously catalogued two other private collections of Honiton pottery.

Other items of note include Art Nouveau-influenced pieces produced by Forster and Hunt who owned the pottery in the early 1900s, quirky ‘motto-ware’ that was firmly aimed at the burgeoning tourist trade, a number of spectacular 14-inch diameter Art-Deco style chargers and rare examples of the pottery’s ‘Sweetpea’ pattern.

“The Sweetpea design was created and only ever painted by Joan Collard, daughter of Charles Collard ‒ she confirmed this to us when she came to one of our auctions,” explained Liz. “We recently discovered that Joan is celebrating her 100th birthday in April, and we hope the sale will be a fitting tribute to her creative talent ‒ we know there will be a lot of interest in Joan’s designs.”

Although pottery has been made in Honiton since the mid seventeenth century, most items were made during the twentieth century before the business finally closed in the early 1990s.

Auctioneer Duncan Chilcott remarked: “Honiton pottery is made from a fairly soft clay and glaze and consequently it can easily be chipped. When we studied the individual articles, we were delighted by the lack of imperfections. This collection has been well looked after.”

The animal figures and large chargers are to be sold individually, and pots will be sold in groups of three or five. Pre-auction estimates range from £30 - £150, with most falling into the £30-50 bracket. The collection is so comprehensive that the 75 lots in the March sale represent only the first part of the collection, and the second part will sold later in the year.

Viewing is at Chilcotts’ Silver Street Saleroom in Honiton on Thursday 12 and Friday 13 March from 9am and 7pm, and on sale day from 8.30am. The auction starts at 10.30am on Saturday March 13.