One of the largest recent private exhibitions of a famed Victorian potter is being held in Salisbury to mark the centenary of his death.

Over 170 sculptures and vessels by Robert Wallace Martin are on display at Woolley and Wallis’s saleroom gallery between June 13 and 22.

The exhibition has been organised by the firm’s Art Pottery specialist, Michael Jeffery, whose reputation for sales of the Martin Brothers’ Pottery has been established over a 30 year period.

“I’m extremely grateful to the generous owners of the exhibits, who have allowed their treasured collections to go on display. Quite a few of the objects have not been seen since Richard Dennis’s seminal exhibition in 1978, and others have never been seen, allowing a new generation to discover the work of this gifted and somewhat eccentric potter and artist,” said Jeffery.

Robert Wallace Martin began his career in London 150 years ago, employing his three brothers (Edwin, Walter and Charles) to assist him. The brothers reached their heyday in the 1880s, their work being exemplified by the grotesque stoneware sculptures and sgraffito designs that grew from the imagination of Robert Wallace. 

“The Bird Jars modelled by Robert Wallace are probably the most recognisable of the Martin Brothers’ creations,” Jeffery continued. “We are fortunate in having 39 on view here, alongside a number of other fantasy and real-life creatures, all modelled with real character and expression.”

Despite their success today, the brothers struggled financially and in their relationship with each other – the younger three resenting Robert Wallace for not giving up his sole ownership of the pottery to make them equal partners. With Charles descending into insanity in the early 20th century, Walter’s sudden death in 1912, and Edwin’s death from mouth cancer in 1915, Robert was left to struggle on his own but never succeeded in reigniting the pottery’s success before his death in 1923 at the age of 80. 

The sale of several recent private collections (including two at Woolley and Wallis in 2019) have kept the name of Martin Brothers to the fore, but it is nearly 40 years since an exhibition of this size and scope has been held.

Although none of the pieces in the exhibition are for sale, over 30 other works by the Martin Brothers are to be sold in the Fine Arts and Crafts auction on June 21, including a bird jar and cover valued between £40,000 and £50,000.