Lot 496: A 20th-century British studio pottery stoneware owl and leaf relief wall charger 34 x 33cm

In the style of Bernatf Rooke A large studio pottery stoneware wall charger of circular form with a shallow well and a slightly raised rim. The interior is decorated in high relief with three large, deeply veined leaves arranged centrally. Perched upon and around the leaves are seven hand-modelled owls of various sizes, featuring textured detailing to represent plumage. The relief elements are finished in mottled ochre, tan, and cream glazes against a dark metallic-grey to black ground with mottled greenish-brown flecks and a pitted surface characteristic of certain stoneware firings. The reverse features an integral pierced lug at the top edge fitted with a wire for hanging. The base has a circular unglazed foot rim with a shallow circular indentation to the centre.