John Maltby

For my two pennies worth for what it’s worth I think his stoneshill figures and sculptures will become more valuable and sought after because they are more scarce….if you like Maltby and many many collectors do then what’s not to like about his early work….

Just as an aside this is my favourite piece of Maltby because it shows his sheer openness about his craft….and what can be done with stuff….I love the use of the curtain rings…..apparently there are 2 other version of this model…..measures max width 20” x 13”

Nothing to do with the recent discussion but I was going through my files the other day and came across this from a visit to John's to buy some items for stock in 2014.

It's written by John M and I thought it might be an interesting record.

Wow. You could add a 0 to many of those today

NaomiM wrote:Wow. You could add a 0 to many of those today

They were wholesale prices but I did add it to show how times had changed.

I found three of these bowls in a charity shop yesterday. I got them home and saw the SP mark on the base. Anyone have an idea of where they came from?

John Maltby Stoneshill Pottery I believe

John Maltby Stoneshill indeed. He did an apprenticeship with David Leach. Hence this handled dish is very much in the somewhat generic Leach style of his early career.

Maltby pot, stoneware, drip glaze, date?
8” vase / flagon.
I’m not well up on the development of his work. Sadly I haven’t found many pieces so far and I wish I’d bought his sculptures when they were offered to me.
Would this likely be something he would have made in the 1960s ? 1970s? 1980s?

Bit if a mess this one! He started Stoneshill pottery in 1964. Which of course was very much standard leach style stuff. This one looks as though he was experimenting a bit. Late 1960's or so?

Thank you. I quite like the glazing dripping down and the unglazed showing through. I guess potters make all sorts of pots discovering their style.

The glaze is designed to crawl like that. I'd guess he was making them between his Stoneshill domestic ware phase and his slab built stoneware Art pottery phase.

https://www.20thcenturyforum.com/t6955p25-john-maltby#133877

Sorry for the quality of the photo. That is the trouble when pieces are behind glass. From the Bill Ismay collection at York COCA. June 2023.

A very pretty John Maltby yunomi from the Bill Marshall collection at COCA York. June 2023.

I'll toss my 10p into the jar. Large cider barrel stands 240mm to shoulder- I'm assuming it's good. Salt glaze.

The mark is not impressed but very delicately formed I believe on the surface, bigger than normal approx £1 coin in size, not perfectly circular.

Looks like he stamped SP on a button of clay

yes more likely. little round ball of clay 10mm across then stamp that

That is nice! Very unusual to be Salt glaze as well. I cannot remember seeing a Maltby Salt glazed piece before.

More salt glazed ones

Picked this up today in a charity shop, not really a Maltby style thing at all but the mark look intriguing? Maybe from early Stoneshill days but no SP mark?

Certainly one of his marks. I don't know when he stopped throwing and turned to handbuilding

The question of when the Stoneshill mark disappeared is interesting. This piece just as much. As it looks like a transition piece.
The Stoneshill pieces are mostly very generic Leach style pieces. But lets say it, because of that very fact, they are mostly rather boring! He founded Stonehill in 1964. Which was a good time for selling. Better economic conditions, cultural changes, swinging 60's and all that.
But times change. The Mid/late 1970's were tough economic years. He had to change his style to a more individualistic, more noticeable. I think the Stoneshill mark probably disappeared some where around then.

I read he had to give up throwing pots after his first heart attack (in his 50s?) and switched to slab building. Without his bread & butter standard ware he couldn’t afford to fire pots and switched to collages and then switched to figurines but others will know better than me

I don't think so Naomi. He had a heart attack in the mid 90's. Then gave up throwing and switched to the sculptural work. We lived down in Devon way back then, and we visited him. We were able to buy some of the very last slab built pieces he had made. Lovely bloke, and a wonderful wife.
A lot of his slab built work was a lot bigger and heavier than the Stoneshill items.