Mid Century Elizabeth Ann MacPhail Miniature Sculptural Form I

Guernsey, c.1960s–70s
 
This one feels deliberate.
 
A compact sculptural form built from stacked circular elements rising from a textured cylindrical base, finished in a warm iron-rich glaze with soft speckling and darker edge breaks. The twin ring forms give it height and rhythm, while the small platform detail at the front anchors it back down into something architectural.
 
There’s a nice tension here between weight and balance. It reads almost like a tiny abstract monument — all curves and negative space — but still unmistakably hand-built. We like the way the glaze shifts from pale interior to darker outer edges; it gives the piece depth without overcomplicating it.
 
Small in scale, but not decorative filler. This one has presence.
 
About Elizabeth Ann MacPhail
 
Elizabeth Ann MacPhail worked at Briglin Pottery, London, in the late 1950s before establishing her own studio at Grandes Rocques, Guernsey, from 1961. Her work sits within the British studio pottery tradition of the mid-20th century, combining functional form with confident hand-decoration. Pieces attributed to her Guernsey period were produced on a smaller scale and remain comparatively scarce on the market today.
 
Condition: Excellent
Size: W 5cm x D 3cm x H 6cm