Pair of Denby Studio Lidded Soup Bowls with Stands in Grey and Rust

Denby has been making stoneware in Derbyshire since 1809, and the Studio range is one of its most characterful mid century designs. Produced from 1961 to 1974 on a shape by Kenneth Clark, Studio pairs a soft blue grey glaze with dark brown vertical lines and warm orange highlights on the knobs and handles. This pair of individual lidded soup bowls is a lovely example, each sitting on its own matching stand with a neat stick handle for lifting straight from the oven.

We love how usable these still are. Denby stoneware was made to go from oven to table and back to the dishwasher, and these bowls have the reassuring weight and even glaze that made the pottery a fixture in British kitchens. Each measures 21 x 17 x 9 cm on its stand, the ideal size for a serving of French onion soup with the lid holding the heat, or a baked egg, a potted starter, or a little individual crumble.

Condition is good and honest throughout, with a bright glaze, crisp pattern and the Denby backstamp to each base. There is gentle wear in keeping with pieces that have served many good meals, all pictured closely so you can see it for yourself.

A matching pair like this is more useful and more collectable than singles, and it makes an easy, characterful addition to a table. Set them at each end of a supper for two, line them along an open shelf where the grey and rust play against pale wood, or group them with vintage glassware and a wooden board for a kitchen that looks lived in rather than staged. Proper stoneware with plenty of good use still in it.