A Fresh Glaze at Ladi Kwali

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Recognising the marks to each one, the bowl was attributed to Ladi Dosei Kwali (c.1925-1984), Nigeria’s most celebrated studio potter, alongside a piece by Michael Cardew (1901-1983), founder of the influential Abuja Pottery Training Centre.

Their arrival comes at a moment of renewed and growing international interest in Kwali’s legacy — an interest reflected in major shows such as Body Vessel Clay: Black Women, Ceramics & Contemporary Art in New York this year (after its debut in 2022 at Two Temple Place, London), and the current Nigerian Modernism exhibition at Tate Modern, which includes several of Kwali’s ceramics and situates her within a broader post-colonial modernist narrative.

^{Ladi Kwali (Nigerian, 1925-1984) for Abuja Pottery, Sold £1,040}

The pieces come from the family of Mary Morton, who attended the University of Oxford at the same time as Michael Cardew, around the early 1920s. While it is unclear whether the two knew each other personally, Mary developed a close friendship with Cardew’s wife, Mariel, who later taught at the City of London School for Girls, where Mary held a senior role.

The family connection deepened over the years. During the 1940s, Mary’s nephew spent a summer at Cardew’s pottery in Cornwall, and upon Mary’s retirement in around 1966, she commissioned Cardew to create pottery for her new home in Cambridge — a gesture believed to be both a gift and a way of supporting friends during a time when funds were tight.
At some point, either as a purchase or a gift, she also acquired the Ladi Kwali bowl and the Cardew jug offered at Sworders — likely before the 1966 commission. This rich, personal provenance places the objects not only within the artistic lineage of Abuja pottery but also within the warm orbit of British studio craft circles of the mid-20th century.

^{Michael Cardew (1901-1983) for Abuja Pottery, Sold £310}

The Abuja Pottery Training Centre, founded by Michael Cardew in 1952, was established to bring together the traditional hand-building practices of the Gwari potters with Western studio pottery techniques. The Centre became a crucible of creative exchange: local coiling, beating, and burnishing methods met wheel-throwing, glazing, and high-temperature firing, resulting in a distinctive, globally influential ceramic aesthetic.

^{Michael Cardew (1901-1983) for Abuja Pottery, Sold £310}

Born around 1925 in the village of Kwali, Ladi Dosei Kwali learned pottery from her aunt, producing large coiled vessels decorated with incised designs of animals and natural forms. Her skill came to Cardew’s attention, and in 1954 she joined the Abuja centre — becoming its first female potter.

There she mastered new techniques while maintaining her unmistakable style. Her sgraffito animal motifs, inlaid slips, and beautifully balanced forms helped establish Abuja pottery on the international stage. Her works toured globally, and she later received an MBE, an honorary doctorate, and Nigeria’s National Order of Merit. Today, she appears on the Nigerian 20-naira banknote — a testament to her enduring influence.

^{Ladi Kwali (Nigerian, 1925-1984) for Abuja Pottery, Sold £1,040}

The bowl that entered our valuation day carries not only Kwali’s artistic legacy but also a personal history of friendship, mentorship, and artistic support between Mary Morton and the Cardews. Objects with such intertwined lineages — artistic, geographical, and emotional — offer a rare window into the worlds that produced them.

^{All sold prices shown include fees.}

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