Dame Lucie Rie (Austrian, 1902-1995) and Hans Coper (German-British

circa 1950, white glazed stoneware, impressed artists' seals, impressed artists' seals, 14cm diameter, 7cm high, A private collection, London; acquired from a gallery in London in 2023. Lucie Rie, born in Vienna in 1902 and trained at the Wiener Werkstätte, established a pottery studio in London after fleeing Austria in 1938. Hans Coper, a Jewish émigré from Dresden, arrived in Britain in 1939 after years of persecution and internment. They met in 1946, when Coper joined Rie’s workshop, and began a twelve-year collaboration at Albion Mews. Although they developed distinct artistic identities, their work was shaped by their shared experiences and close working relationship. Rie recognised Coper’s talent early on, and together they produced objects of exceptional precision and quality. Their collaboration allowed each artist to push beyond conventional approaches: Rie experimented with innovative techniques and textured, mottled surfaces, while Coper increasingly explored sculptural forms, throwing and reassembling vessels into complex constructions. Together, Rie and Coper challenged the dominant British ceramic tradition associated with Bernard Leach, whose work drew heavily on rural and Japanese craft traditions. Instead, they developed an urban European sensibility, drawing inspiration from London’s concrete, asphalt, dust and post-war landscape. Their work demonstrated that pottery could respond to the modern city rather than being rooted in an idealised rural past. Their partnership continued as a friendship after Coper left Albion Mews to establish his own studio. Both later taught at the Royal College of Art, where they passed their ideas and rigorous approach on to a new generation of ceramicists. Literature: For a similar example, see the exhibition catalogue Offer Waterman, 'Lucie Rie Hans Coper: Life at the Wheel', 2026, ill. p. 50. Condition Report, Condition Report, Structurally, the bowl appears sound. There is a hairline crack to one side of the bowl - approximately 6cm long. Some fluorescence to the underside, seemingly remnants of adhesive. Request A Condition Report, Request A Condition Report

Estimate:£700

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