Rare and important early New Zealand agate Ware pottery vase, William Speer of Brunner, hand incised to the base W. Speer, Brunner, 1930. Height 18 cm. This superb ovoid vase was made by blending different coloured clays to create a feathered agate pattern. A. similar example illustrated in pottery in New Zealand by Gail Lambert. P.77.
William Speer was an expert potter working in England for Royal Doulton. In 1921 he immigrated to New Zealand to be with his daughter, after initially working for the Crum family he set up at Brunner beside the grey river in the northwest of the South Island. However, after finding no ready market for his ornamental vases or domestic wares he closed the business after three years in 1932. Due to the limited production of his work very few pieces are ever offered on the open market