Linn Ware: Celebrating the Ceramics of Olifantsfontein

Timed Online Auction, 2 - 13 May 2025

Session One
About the Session

This sale features a broad selection of Linn Ware that celebrates South Africa’s rich ceramic traditions highlighting a key moment in the country’s artistic development — during a period when industrialisation and mass production were rapidly transforming the design landscape.  The Ceramic Studio, renamed Linn Ware in 1943, was founded on Sir Thomas Cullinan’s farm Olifantsfontein, outside Johannesburg which had rich deposits of clay and lime. It was staffed mostly by women students from the Durban School of Art, several of whom studied further at the Royal College of Art, London.  The Studio closed in the late 1950’s but left behind a beautiful body of work that is highly collectable today. Discover more about Linn Ware's fascinating history here.

 


Sold for

ZAR 9 967
Lot 22
  • Linn Ware/Ceramic Studio; Two-handled urn-shaped pedestal vase
  • Linn Ware/Ceramic Studio; Two-handled urn-shaped pedestal vase
  • Linn Ware/Ceramic Studio; Two-handled urn-shaped pedestal vase
  • Linn Ware/Ceramic Studio; Two-handled urn-shaped pedestal vase


Lot Estimate
ZAR 5 000 - 7 000
Selling Price
Incl. Buyer's Premium & VAT
ZAR 9 967
Delivery
Additional delivery charges apply
Shipping
Condition Report
May include additional detailed images

About this Item

Olifantsfontein, South Africa 1925 - 1955
Two-handled urn-shaped pedestal vase

unsigned

cream-glazed earthenware
23cm high, 18cm diameter

Notes

This particular piece has the off-white palette characteristic of feldspathic glaze, which resulted in a slightly translucent appearance. Several items make use of the pedestal, which required a careful balance of form, structure and proportion.

View all Linn Ware/Ceramic Studio lots for sale in this auction