Gorgeous earthenware tea pot with studio impressed mark

by **RVsaid** November 7th 2012, 10:19 am

A recent find and I have to say I really love it. Anyone know this mark?

finch - Ray Finch P1020412

by **r-and-f** November 7th 2012, 10:24 am

Excellent find! Winchcombe pottery, and I think the dot means this was made by Ray Finch himself.

by **RVsaid** November 7th 2012, 10:37 am

Nice one thanks. I cross checked and you are correct. You know the fish dish on sold items on eBay, it was there or rather a smaller round version was also but I didn't buy it. :0)

by **studio-pots** November 7th 2012, 8:33 pm

The stoneware coffee pot was made by Ray Finch at the Winchcombe Pottery as r-and-f stated and it would have been made from the late 1970s onwards when Ray used this mark.

However in order that there isn't any confusion if someone happens upon this thread in the future, it is worth pointing out that if this had been an earthenware teapot made at Winchcombe by Ray the mark would have been different.

by **climberg64** November 7th 2012, 8:36 pm

Thanks SP, this begs the question, in what way would the mark be different? Would it have been the Winchcombe mark plus Ray Finche's rf personal seal?

by **studio-pots** November 7th 2012, 9:19 pm

I thought that I had got away without answering that!

When Ray went to Winchcombe in the late 1930s he couldn't really thrown so the Winchcombe seal plus rf or RF would be very unlikely to have been seen on teapots.

The next mark that he used from 1949 and during the early 1950s was a large W with the P down the centre and R to the left of the top of the P and F to the right. This would have been possible.

However, most likely it would have been marked with a pointed W and the P down the centre but with the downstroke of the P barely extending below the centre of the W.

I don't have images I'm afraid so that's the best that I can do.

There are pictures of Ray's marks in the book Ray Finch: Craftsman potter of the modern age by John Edgeler

by **RVsaid** November 9th 2012, 9:04 am

The photo colour is slightly off as it was more a light earthy brown with speckles.

finch - Ray Finch P1020420

by **philpot** June 16th 2013, 2:32 pm

I'm really staggered that there is no Thread on Ray Finch.Certainly one of the longest practicing of 20th century Potters. Perhaps his very self-effacing nature,and his essential nature as Winchcombe pottery itself,masks just how good a potter he was.

This is an early pre-war bowl,from his very 1st years at Winchcombe.

finch - Ray Finch 00118

Here is the thread for Winchcombe Pottery:

https://www.20thcenturyforum.com/t7608-winchcombe-pottery#29931

by **philpot** June 16th 2013, 2:35 pm

The personal mark on the bowl. Used from circa 1937-45.

finch - Ray Finch 00216

by **philpot** June 16th 2013, 2:37 pm

Ray Finch's jugs stand up there with the best.

finch - Ray Finch 00523

by **philpot** June 16th 2013, 2:39 pm

Equally,his Salt Glaze is very good indeed.

finch - Ray Finch 00310

by **philpot** June 16th 2013, 2:41 pm

by **philpot** June 16th 2013, 2:42 pm

The mark on the above jug.

finch - Ray Finch 00810

by **philpot** June 16th 2013, 2:44 pm

by **philpot** June 16th 2013, 2:45 pm

by **philpot** June 16th 2013, 2:48 pm

by **philpot** June 16th 2013, 6:27 pm

Ray Finch did not do much porcelain. But he was still brilliant at the little he did. This is a Ray Finch six cup and saucer set with associated Tea Pot,Milk Jug and Sugar Bowl.All in porcelain.

finch - Ray Finch 04310

by Guest August 16th 2014, 5:58 pm

Can anyone tell me if this is Ray Finch's personal seal mark? I'm confused as the w is not the same as in the book but it does have the dot. Thanks

finch - Ray Finch 2014-078

by **NaomiM** August 16th 2014, 7:11 pm

I've been told that the inclusion of a dot in the mark means it's by Finch himself.

by **studio-pots** August 16th 2014, 11:08 pm

It is a rare Ray Finch mark that seems to date from the mid 1970s. I have only ever seen one other example with pointed bottoms to the W and the dot.

By the end of the Seventies he was using the W with rounded bottoms and the dot that he continued to use for the rest of his career. Before that his personal mark changed a number of times.

by **studio-pots** August 17th 2014, 11:08 am

Having checked "the book" the information there is not complete and the jumble of marks are unhelpful. That is unless the information was revised in the 2nd edition, as I only have the first.

When looking at work that might possibly be by Ray Finch you need to know which marks were used on earthenware and which were used on stoneware as well.

by **dantheman** August 17th 2014, 12:17 pm

I think the images on this thread are far more informative than the book.

by **studio-pots** August 17th 2014, 1:06 pm

The mark below is a personal mark of Ray's that comes from a press moulded dish that appears to have been made in the early 1960s.

This has the pointed W and no spot but regular Winchcombe stoneware pottery had the rounded W rather than the pointed W mark.

Winchcombe standard earthenware had the pointed W mark like the mark below but this was smaller.

finch - Ray Finch Finch_10

Note: This does not appear in BSPM.

by **denbydump** August 17th 2014, 2:05 pm

My Ray Finch pieces.

finch - Ray Finch 100_1622

Marks: all terracotta pieces similarly marked RF.

finch - Ray Finch 100_1623

by **studio-pots** August 17th 2014, 2:10 pm

Your terracotta earthenware pieces are likely to date from 1949 to 1952/3, so a mark with a short life span.

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Ray Finch