Eric Ravilious (1903-1942) was one of the most famous artists of the 1930s and while he is renowned for his work as a War Artist, he also produced designs for Wedgwood ceramics. He studied at the Royal College of Art, after which he worked as a muralist and soon began to produce wood-engravings. By 1924 his work was being praised by collectors and critics.
Ravilious produced several designs for Wedgwood, the first being a celebration mug for the proposed coronation of King Edward VIII. The mug was subsequently withdrawn after Edward’s abdication, though many were produced in the year preceding this decision and so examples are not as rare as you might think and can be found for £400-600 ($650-950).
The design was later revised for the coronations of George VI in 1937 and Elizabeth II in 1953: the former might be worth £300-500 ($500-800), the latter worth £100 ($150) or more if in good condition. Other designs, such as the Alphabet mug, the Afternoon Tea, Travel and Garden Implements china sets, and the Boat Race Day cup were also produced for the firm. Ravilious created pencil drawings which were made into engravings by the decorators at Wedgwood. Many designs were revived in the 1950s.
Despite great success as a designer in a variety of media, including glass, furniture and graphic work for advertisements for London Transport, Ravilious concentrated increasingly on watercolors in the later half of the 1930s. His haunting and lyrical landscapes often featured the downlands and the coast of southern England. Limited Edition prints of his watercolors can be bought for around £200 ($300).
In 1939, he became an official War Artist and during the Second World War he depicted such subjects as De-iceing Aircraft. He was killed at the age of 39 whilst accompanying a Royal Air Force air sea rescue mission off Iceland that failed to return to its base.
Images courtesy of Skinner's, Sworders, and Dreweatt's.
