The Troika Collection 2008
Coming Soon - The Troika Collection 2008
The latest in the studio collections of artwork by The Art House has been created as a tribute to the Cornish Troika Pottery Company that pioneered an inspirational new design concept in the 1960s and 70s.
The Troika Collection has been designed to reflect the geometric shapes and textured surfaces of the original Troika pottery style. As a further tribute, each piece has been named after a Cornish town or village.
The Troika Pottery Company was founded at the Wells Pottery at Wheal Dream, St. Ives on the 1st of May 1963. The three founders were sculptor and painter Leslie Illsley, Potter Benny Sirota and architect Jan Thompson, who left in 1965.
Illsley primarily worked on shapes, which were produced in moulds, while Sirota handled surface design and glazes. Scandinavian ceramics of the period were a strong influence and Leslie Illsley particularly admired artist Paul Klee and sculptor Constantin Brancusi.
The 1960s saw much growth, spurred on by the tourist industry, and a number of London stores stocked Troika wares. In 1970 the pottery expanded and moved to Newlyn, where new shapes and designs were introduced – by 1974 textured ware dominated the range. The pottery closed in 1983 due to less expensive imports and more people holidaying abroad rather than in Cornwall.
In recent years, Troika pottery has gained new popularity amongst collectors with some pieces selling at auction for thousands of pounds, especially if signed by the founders.
If you would like to find out more about The Troika Pottery Company then why not visit The Digital Museum of Cornish Ceramics.
February 13, 2008 at 7:53 pm
[...] The Troika Collection 2008 will be available soon on their website and you can find an example picture and a little more information on the The Art House Blog. [...]