Celebration of Mary Watts in talks, exhibition and print

Summer sees a celebration of Mary Watts in talks, exhibition and print and the new Watts Magazine reflected this seasonal theme with articles about the chapel, her ceiling and kiln at Limnerslease. One of the articles, which looked at the early days of the Compton Pottery, featured an illustration from a 1915 catalogue of the Pottery which advertised a Winged Hours Sundial available in 'Red' at £3 and 'Gray' for £3 10s.

It was serendipity that one should come up for auction earlier this week and we were successful in acquiring it. It is a delightful addition to our collection and will feature in our redisplayed gallery and garden when we reopen next year. Veronica Franklin Gould, who is researching the life of Mary Watts, wrote to me and told me of her excitement at us acquiring the piece noting that it was: 'Mary's first Compton, sundial design of 30 March 1898, very important for the Mary Seton Watts collection, as it epitomises her symbolism and pattern-making.' The details of its winged creatures, angels and zephyrs, is quite charming and I am sure that it will admired by visitors to the Gallery. In the meantime it will be exhibited at the Watts Cemetery Chapel exhibition at the Lewis Elton Gallery, University of Surrey, between 9 and 22 July this year.