Set of Two Bernard Rooke Studio Ceramic Totem Floor Lamps, Mid-20th Century

Two monumental or oversize studio ceramic table lamps by English potter Bernard Rooke. Beautiful statement pieces, in natural browns and earth tones with organic shaping and decorate...

Circular push-pull door handles in brass, with hammered texture. Mid-20th century. Found in France. Each handle is made up of two separate pieces with hammered texture; each face tr...

Two mid-size circular push-and-pull door handles in bronze, mid-20th century, France. Two simple handles, each made up of two lightly contoured round plates, held by a connecting bo...

Two modernist panels of wrought iron - railings, gates or screens. Mid-20th century, found in Sweden. Striking modernist design of folded triangles and rods finished in black paint....

A sculptural mid-20th century table lamp by renowned British ceramicist Bernard Rooke, handcrafted in England during the 1960s. Exemplifying Brutalist ceramic lighting with an organi...

A rare and sculptural ceramic table lamp by British artist Bernard Rooke, dating to the 1960s. Known for his textural, architectural forms and earthy glazes, Rooke's work bridges Bru...

An organic and Brutalist style Floor Lamp with Dragon Fly and Leaf design. No chips or cracks. Easily rewired for all regions. Bernard Rooke (born 1938) is a British artist and studio potter. Rooke has exhibited his "Brutalist" ceramics and painting both in the UK and abroad with work in many collections both public and private including the Victoria and Albert Museum, Cleveland Museum of Art, Nuffield Foundation, Röhsska Museum in Sweden and the Trondheim Kunstmuseum in Norway. Bernard Rooke attended Ipswich School of Art studying painting and lithography before going on to study at Goldsmiths College of Art. It was while studying here that he decided to take up pottery. Although unfamiliar with this craft and tradition, he found that working with clay provided new opportunities for freedom of interpretation and creativity. In 1960 Rooke set up his first pottery in Forest Hill in South London along with Alan Wallwork. It was a very small room with enough space for a small electric kiln. He was initially using mainly hand building, coiling, blocking and slabbing techniques. While researching ideas, he was supporting himself by part-time lecturing at London University, Goldsmiths College and St Mary's College. In addition, Rooke's membership of 'The Craftsman Potters' Association' enabled him to show his work in a shop in Carnaby Street in London. In 1967, both the need for a larger working space and becoming disillusioned with living in London spurred Rooke into moving out of the city and to an old mill building in Swilland in Suffolk. Rooke wanted to widen the range of work so as to become more commercial. With the birth of his son, Aaron, and much needed work to be done on the mill, it was important to be able to make a living. In 1968, the Grand Metropolitan Hotel commissioned Rooke to make 120 standard lamps, 120 table lamps as well as a 24 foot long ceramic mural and another 9 foot high, which incorporated interior lighting. The money from the commission helped to pay for much needed restoration work on the mill. By the 1970s, a gallery space was opened in the windmill and run by Susan Rooke, Bernard's wife, selling work to locals and tourists as well as to American airmen based nearby. The vision for Mill Gallery was beginning to develop and alongside this a reputation was building bringing in a good source of income. Sons Aaron and Felix were becoming more involved with the running of the pottery, giving Bernard more time to develop new ideas and designs and more time to continue with his painting. In 2004, the Rooke family decided not to sell to the public through the gallery anymore and close the pottery to concentrate more on painting and printmaking. In 2017 Bernard's lighting was featured in the Exhibition: “Glass, Light, Paint & Clay” at the Peterborough Museum and Art Gallery. The exhibition featured four artists: Bernard Rooke, John Maltby...

Pair of ceramic lamps by Bernard Rooke. Lamps have been professionally rewired with new black wood bases. Measures: Ceramic portion is 13" high. Brass neck is 3" high. Wood base is 9...