Griselda Hill, Wemyss Ware, Scottish

“This is a rare and impressive very large pottery pig, measuring approximately 43 cm long × 30 cm high, decorated in the highly sought-after Wild Roses pattern. This beautiful 1980s piece has been personally authenticated by Griselda Hill in an email to me confirming that she was the painter.

Overall it is very good for it’s age and has a bright and glossy glaze throughout. There has been a previous repair to the left ear (shown clearly in photos). Otherwise it is sound and stable, with no other chips or cracks.”

Griselda Hill Pottery in the village of Ceres, Fife, is the modern home of the celebrated Scottish ceramic tradition known as Wemyss Ware. The pottery was established in 1985 by Griselda Hill, who revived the historic Wemyss Ware style that originated in Fife in the late nineteenth century.

The original Wemyss Ware pottery was produced from the 1880s at the Fife Pottery in Kirkcaldy. Its distinctive character came from bold hand-painted designs — often featuring cabbage roses, pigs, cats, chickens, and other rural motifs — applied to cream-coloured glazed earthenware. Each piece was individually decorated by skilled painters and signed with the name of the decorator, a tradition that continues today.

After the closure of the Kirkcaldy pottery in the mid-twentieth century, the Wemyss Ware tradition was revived when Griselda Hill acquired the rights to the name and established a new workshop in Ceres. Since then, the pottery has continued to produce hand-painted ceramics using traditional methods, with many pieces still decorated with the classic patterns and motifs that made Wemyss Ware famous.

Today, Wemyss Ware from Griselda Hill Pottery remains highly regarded by collectors of Scottish ceramics. Each piece is hand painted, often signed by the decorator, and continues the long-standing craft tradition that originated in Fife more than a century ago.

Note:

“New large pigs from Griselda Hill Pottery retail for around £490–£999 depending on design. This early 1980’s hand-painted example by Griselda Hill herself, despite its repair, is offered at £300 to reflect its provenance and  rarity.”