Eric Ravilious | A Master of Wedgwood Ceramics

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We are delighted to bring to the market an impressive single-owner collection of Eric Ravilious ceramics, coming from the private collection of Barry and Saria Viney in London. The couple were lifelong collectors of Eric Ravilious' works and contributors to the artist's catalogue raisonné.

Eric Ravilious (1903–1942) was a remarkably versatile English artist whose legacy encompasses painting, illustration, wood engraving, and design. Born in Acton and raised in Eastbourne, Sussex, Ravilious developed a distinctive visual language that would come to define his watercolours, prints, and commercial designs. He studied at the Royal College of Art from 1922, and under Paul Nash from 1924, whose influence helped shape his early wood engravings and introduction to modernist aesthetics. Ravilious’s landscape work, particularly in watercolour, often featured the English countryside - notably the South Downs and the rural expanses of Sussex and Essex.

^{Eric Ravilious (1903-1942) for Wedgwood, a 1937 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth coronation mug (£800-1,200)}

While Ravilious contributed to a range of artistic and commercial projects, spanning from London Transport advertisements to furniture design, one of his most celebrated and enduring collaborations was with the renowned ceramics company, Wedgwood. His work for the firm, begun in 1936 and extending until shortly before his death in 1942, exemplified the intersection of fine art and applied design. It also highlighted Ravilious’ capacity to bring whimsical charm into the realm of domestic objects.

By May 1936, Ravilious was officially engaged to design ceramics, a development that resulted from his solo show at the Zwemmer Gallery in London. Ravilious' entry into Wedgwood's orbit came during a period of artistic and commercial revival at the company, and while the precise origin of his introduction to Wedgwood remains unclear, it is likely that Viktor Skellern, newly appointed as art director in 1935 and a former classmate from the Royal College of Art, played a key role.

^{Eric Ravilious (1903-1942) for Wedgwood, a 1937 King Edward VIII coronation mug (£500-700)}

Ravilious’ first major commission for Wedgwood was a commemorative coronation mug for Edward VIII (lots 57 and 58). Though never mass-produced due to the king’s abdication, the design marked the beginning of an evolving relationship between Ravilious and the pottery. When George VI acceded to the throne, Ravilious reworked the mug design, creating a piece that balanced ceremonial dignity with a folkloric charm - a hallmark of his visual language (lots 59 - 62). This coronation mug would go on to be one of Wedgwood’s most popular commemorative pieces, and was later revised again in 1953 to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (lots 69-71).

Ravilious quickly became a central figure in Wedgwood’s creative operations, although not without friction. In a letter to his confidante and former lover Helen Binyon, he remarked with typical irony that his designs were seen by the Wedgwood family as “above the heads of their public”. The tension between artistic ambition and commercial viability was a recurring theme, and Ravilious’s own correspondence reflects the familiar frustrations of working artists navigating the tastes of the public.

^{Eric Ravilious (1903-1942) for Wedgwood, a 'Persephone' dinner service (£200-400)}

Despite this, Ravilious produced a rich variety of designs for Wedgwood, many of which reflect his fascination with rural life, gardening, and British traditions. His ‘Persephone’ dinner service, originally named Harvest Festival, was inspired by a 1936 drawing made in Castle Hedingham, Essex (lot 72). It featured motifs of loaves, sheaves of wheat, and horned cornucopias all rendered with Ravilious’ characteristic precision and restraint. A stylised, firework-like border unified the elements and was reused across plates, cups, and serving pieces. The set was released in several colourways including blue, green, pink, and yellow, and in 1952 a special edition, ‘Golden Persephone’, was created for the coronation of Elizabeth II posthumously.

Another noteworthy design was the ‘Alphabet’ set of 1937: a playful series of letters illustrated with unexpected objects from Indian headdresses to bentwood chairs, and from birds’ nests to boxes of matches. The illustrations, more abstract than didactic, diverged from the sentimental style typical of the era's children's ceramics, such as those by Mabel Lucie Attwell. This design highlighted Ravilious’ wit and ability to challenge conventions while still working within a commercial format. We are delighted to be offering two rare ‘Alphabet’ egg cups, one in pink and one in blue (lots 76 and 77) in addition to several other lots in this joyful design.

^{Eric Ravilious (1903-1942) for Wedgwood: a pink 'Alphabet' egg cup (£700-900) and a blue 'Alphabet' egg cup (£700-900)}

Among his most beloved works for Wedgwood is the ‘Garden’ series from 1938. This design encapsulates the essence of Ravilious’ charm: a celebration of outdoor leisure and the joys of English domesticity. With motifs of swimming, croquet, reading, and tree felling, the pieces evoke a nostalgic vision of countryside life. The following year, Ravilious added the ‘Garden Implements’ lemonade set, which featured delightfully detailed images of gardening tools and barrels and reflected his personal love of horticulture and the influence of his Great Bardfield home (lots 64 and 65).

^{Eric Ravilious (1903-1942) for Wedgwood, a pair of pink 'Garden Implements' lemonade jugs and two accompanying cups (£800-1,200)}

Though his ceramics focused more on surface decoration than form, the shapes he designed for were often existing Wedgwood stock models, and his illustrations were executed through the company’s traditional transfer printing methods. Initially sceptical of the engravers’ ability to translate his lines with fidelity, Ravilious was eventually won over, writing: “These chaps are without doubt the finest engravers I have ever met”.

Despite producing over thirty designs for Wedgwood, not all were manufactured, and even fewer were large-scale commercial successes. Still, his pieces have become highly sought-after collectibles, cherished for their delicate balance of humour, elegance, and historical resonance. They now stand as testament not only to his artistic legacy, but also to a rare moment in British design when fine art and functional beauty were allowed to harmonize.

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Tuesday 8 July | 10am

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