Lot 67 , A rare Martin Brothers stoneware rook chess piece, c.1920, 11.5cm high

A rare Martin Brothers stoneware rook chess piece, c.1920, possibly a prototype, indistinct incised mark ‘R W Martin Southall 10.1920 (?)’.

cf. The Martin Brothers Potters by Malcolm Haslam, p133, Fig. XXV for a chess set featuring a similar rook with slightly different details. 11.5cm high
£400-600

Condition:
Provenance- The vendor’s grandmother grew up in Southall close to the Martin Brothers workshop and the piece was probably acquired in the 1970s-1980s. Numerous firing cracks around the lower half of the piece, fine crazing to the glaze, other minor glaze imperfections, otherwise in good condition with no chips, or restoration.

Sold for £420