Rare pottery found in cupboard sells for £13,000

The auction house says it is "rare" to see so many Bernard Leach vases and pots in one auction

A rare pottery collection that had been found gathering dust in a cupboard has sold for £13,000 at auction.

Ten vases and pots made by Bernard Leach, regarded as the "father of British studio pottery", were sold at Hanson Ross auction house in Royston, Hertfordshire.

The collection had been amassed over 50 years by one family.

Amanda Butler, director of operations at Hanson Ross, said it was "rare to see so many of Leach's pieces in one auction".

'Life-changing money'

"The owner's intention was to gift them to a charity shop or sell them at a car boot sale, but they thought they'd just check with us before letting them go," she said.

"It's a good job they did! This is life-changing money for the owner and I'm so glad that they have gone to new homes where they can be displayed."

One unsigned piece from the collection also sold for £2,000 to a US collector.

A vase by Shoji Hamada, Leach's partner at his company Leach Pottery based in St Ives, Cornwall, sold for £1,700.

The auction house said additional pieces by Hamada will be auctioned on 12 July.

Leach was born in Hong Kong and spent a decade in Japan developing his interest in ceramics.

He founded Leach Pottery in 1920 and apprenticed many potters from all over the world to teach his utilitarian style and belief in functional forms.