Ruskin Pottery
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The Ruskin Pottery studio was founded in 1898 by Edward Richard Taylor, the Principal of Birmingham School of Art, to be run by his son, William Howson Taylor, formerly a student there.
It was named for the artist John Ruskin, and was situated at Smethwick, near Birmingham.
The pottery produced by father and son was notable for the innovative glazes used. The naming of the business after Rusin must have been to connote high quality; a famous quote from Ruskin is "There are those men who would utilize inferior material, shoddy workmanship, and inadequate construction features in order to manufacture a product to sell at a price lower than that of his competitors. He who shops price alone is this man’s lawful prey."
When the studio closed in 1935, on William's death, the unique formulae for the glazes were deliberately destroyed, so that they would never be reproduced. This is supposedly why their products are so valuable today.
Bibliography
The Pottery of Edward Richard Taylor and William Howson Taylor, 1898-1935 Paul Atterbury and John Henson Baxendale Press 1993 ISBN 0952093308