Rupert Spira

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Rupert Spira is an English studio potter. Born in 1960 he first studied pottery with Henry Hammond and later with Michael Cardew at Wenford Bridge Pottery from 1980 to 1982.^[1] His early work was reminiscent of these early influences being in a very traditional Bernard Leach style. This work is mostly practical in nature taking the form of teapots, functional vases and other culinary ware.

He later moved to set up his own pottery in Shropshire where his style changed from a functional to a more minimalistic style. While he continues to make and sell functional pottery he is now known for his more recent studio pottery. His best and most recognizable work contains poems, both self written and by Kathleen Raine the celebrated British poet. The poems are either scratched into the glaze in the scraffito style or written as embossed letters either in a square block or in a single line across the surface of the vessel. ^[2]. These works vary in size from prayer bowls only a few centimeters across through to huge open bowls 50cm or more in diameter. He is also known for his cylinders which are often made as part of a series and while beautiful in their own right were made to be exhibited as a group. These also vary in scale from a few centimeters in height through to the largest being a meter or more high. He works mainly in simple white, off white and black minimalistic colors but he does also occasionally make deep redly glazed bowls and very distinguishable yellow tea sets.

Rupert's work can be found in many good galleries throughout Britain including the V&A and Sainsbury collection as well as in many private collections worldwide.