Bernard Leach letters was sold by Lawrences Auctioneers

Consigned for sale by his adopted son Maurice Leach, the letters were written by Bernard to his second wife Laurie in 1934-1935 while spending a year in Japan.

The letters are personal in parts and also discuss his day to day life in Japan at that time. The letters were punctuated with a variety of drawings and give a rare and informal insight into the ‘Father of Studio Pottery’.

Bidding on the day was strongly contested by phone bidders and they were eventually sold for £3400 (plus buyers premium). The collection was purchased by the Crafts Study Centre Museum in Farnham which hold the largest collection of Bernard Leach material in the Country.

Lawrences Auctioneer Simon Jones said, “This was a really intriguing group of letters and it was a pleasure to look through them. We are delighted they have been purchased by the Crafts Study Centre, so that they can continue to be seen and used for research in the future.”