Curator Talk :The pots and partnership of Katharine Pleydell-Bouverie and Norah Braden

Katharine Pleydell-Bouverie (1895–1985), granddaughter of 4th Earl of Radnor, grew up at Coleshill House, one of the grandest country houses in England. Eschewing family tradition, Pleydell-Bouverie established her own home and artistic enterprise on the estate—a cottage and pottery that she shared with female partner and fellow studio potter, Norah Braden (1901–2001). Their handmade stoneware pots were fired in a wood-fired kiln of Japanese design (only the second of its type in Europe) and decorated with delicately-hued glazes, made using plant ash from the estate. Their work was celebrated during the interwar period—praised by critics, exhibited by London gallerists alongside ceramics by their friends Michael Cardew and Bernard Leach, and acquired by collectors and museums.

This talk will explore the experimental nature of their work and consider how these women reconfigured “country house” living in their quest for modernity, making space for their own queer, independent lives and artistic practice.

The talk will last 45-60 minutes with time for questions with the curator afterwards.

This talk is given by Helen Ritchie, Senior Curator of Modern & Contemporary Applied Arts, The Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge