Overview
Ruskin art pottery made a big impact on New Zealand audiences early last century. Its work was admired at the 1906–07 New Zealand International Exhibition and in British journals like Decorative Art.
These forums informed not only public taste at the time but also Walter’s collecting later on. ‘The illustrated record,’ he said, ‘introduced me to British Edwardian art pottery for the first time. Ruskin pottery ... I found particularly interesting.’
The two Ruskin vases displayed here feature the kind of superior, high-fired glaze that made Ruskin Pottery’s reputation. The company’s chemist, William Howson Taylor, was inspired by the rich, textured glazes found on old Chinese ceramics.
Text taken from exhibition Walter Cook: A Collector's Quest 2012.