Overview
Art pottery subsequently found a ready market in New Zealand. Half a century later, Walter Cook was among the new generation who came to appreciate it.
Art pottery grew out of the Arts and Crafts movement, with its focus on the handmade. It reflects a range of traditions, from Asian to European.
These pieces of art pottery by Pilkingtons resemble those displayed in the British Court at the 1906–07 New Zealand International Exhibition. The Star newspaper wrote at the time: ‘Perhaps never before have the majority of colonials had an opportunity of studying so rich a collection of the modern potter’s art ... The feast of colour and grace … should prove of great service in the education of public taste.’
Text taken from exhibition Walter Cook: A Collector's Quest 2012.