I'm sorry Dave, I afraid I can't do that.....

This was my best find from last week I think. An exhibition standard bowl from Ditlev Denmark. It is a very large 36cm in diameter. Most work by Ditlev will be stamped, but this piece is hand signed - usual practice for bespoke or one off pieces.

I have done one other post on Ditlev but since found out a little more information. His full name was Henrik Ditlev Larsen, but went simply by the name of Ditlev. He founded is own pottery in Lyngby Denmark in 1956, and later worked with Bjorn Wiinblad at Nymolle.

The work I have seen by Ditlev has usually been very stylish domestic ware and oven ramekins - with a distinctive round handle at the end. They have all had beautiful glazes and are made from a very dark brown clay that looks like chocolate!

This piece has the most intense orange red glaze with beautiful and fine colour runs of dark brown blending into the orange from the edge to the middle. When I first saw this piece, the phrase that popped into my head was "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that" :)