figure of a hawk

Summary

Public: Figure of a hawk, white salt-glazed stoneware, with brown slip and 'scratch-brown' decoration. Private: Hollow slip-cast figure of a hawk, perched on tall oval base. Wings and breast of hawk decorated in 'scratch-brown' technique with rows of scales, spots and parallel lines indicating feathers, head decorated with eyes and beak picked out in same technique, and two circular holes pierced either side of beak. Rocky mound picked out with large scattered spots of dark brown slip.

Display Label

The Thomas Greg Collection The Greg Collection of English Pottery was given to the Gallery in 1904 by collector and amateur historian Thomas Greg. One of the great collections of English pottery, it was formed at a time when little was known about the history of ceramics in this country. Over forty years Greg systematically acquired some of the best examples of the potter's art, tracing its development over a thousand years. His collection tells the story of English pottery: of experiment and invention, triumph and downfall, from the unknown medieval craftsman to the world domination of Josiah Wedgwood. In many ways, it is a history of England itself. Greg was driven by a fascination with the past and a desire to contribute to scholarly knowledge. He gave his collection to the Gallery in the hope of inspiring a similar sense of wonder in others.