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Portrait of a large mid-century modern Greek Head bust by Susan Parkinson, evoking both classical form and contemporary simplicity.
Porcelain Greek bust by Susan Parkinson, fusing ancient inspiration with the fluidity and abstraction of 1950s Post-war British design.
White ceramic bust with face on a wooden background. 1950s slip-cast porcelain sculpture by Susan Parkinson with laurel wreath and column base, inspired by Picasso’s neoclassicism.
Large vintage Greek Head by Susan Parkinson, blending classical restraint with mid-century modern form and postwar spirit.
Mid-century porcelain Greek Head by Susan Parkinson, reflecting the elegance and optimism of 1950s modern design.
Side view of a Postwar British Modernist sculptural bust looking to the right, design by Susan Parkinson, hand-decorated with expressive brushwork and subtle restraint.
Vintage Modernist white porcelain sculpture by Susan Parkinson, inspired by ancient Greek portraiture and mid-century British design. Item is on a linen tablecloth and in front of a wooden backdrop.
Vintage British ceramic sculpture by Susan Parkinson, with black and white contrasts defining a flowing tunic and curly hair.
The backside of a large mid-century modern bust by Susan Parkinson depicting a classical Greek gentleman with laurel wreath and tunic, circa 1953.
Ceramic sculpture of a head with textured surface on a plain background. Elegant mid-century porcelain bust with high-contrast decoration, designed and made by Susan Parkinson in the early 1950s.
The back of a Modernist porcelain bust by Susan Parkinson, a refined interpretation of classical antiquity in mid-century British pottery.
Mid-century modern Greek Head by Susan Parkinson, available in the UK from Art & Utility, an icon of postwar studio ceramics.
Susan Parkinson’s Greek Head, model 67 — a mid-century modern British ceramic masterpiece, for sale in the UK from design gallery Art & Utility.
Top down view of a vintage Modernist bust designed by Susan Parkinson, beautifully slip-cast and detailed with sgraffito and wax resist.
White marble like bust of a Grecian man against a wooden panel background. Vintage Susan Parkinson sculpture capturing the noble serenity of a Greek figure, a hallmark of modern British ceramic design.
Lower half of an elegant and refined vintage bust by Susan Parkinson, merging ancient grace with the clean lines of postwar modernism.
White ceramic bust with black accents on a plain background. A finely modelled Modernist bust of a Greek gentleman by Susan Parkinson, rendered with painterly confidence and simplicity.
Close-up of a white marble-like porcelain sculpture with intricate carvings on a plain background. Mid-century modern Greek Head bust by Susan Parkinson, for sale in the UK from design gallery Art & Utility, reflecting postwar optimism.
Underside of a slip-cast porcelain Greek Head by Susan Parkinson, a fine example of postwar British studio pottery and modernist artistry. The base is stamped with the Richard Parkinson Pottery makers mark.
Close up of the makers marks stamped into the base of a vintage Modernist sculpture by Susan Parkinson, model number 67, showing a serene Greek noble in porcelain.
Parkinson Pottery

Susan Parkinson 'Greek Head' Bust

£990.00 £0.00
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A large Modernist bust of an ancient Greek gentleman designed and made by Susan Parkinson around 1953.

Slip-cast in one piece, complete with tunic, laurel wreath, and column base, Parkinson’s Greek Head (Model No. 67) captures the serene elegance of a noble figure from antiquity. Yet its true brilliance lies in Parkinson’s rendering. For us, this bust perfectly embodies the spirit and epitomises the aesthetics of post-war British design.

Both the shape of the subject and how he is painted is light and lively yet ever so well considered. In its purity and simplicity the Modernist sculpture brings to mind Pablo Picasso's neoclassical period (1919–1929) and his famous quote on mastering an instinctive and unpretentious expression.

"It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child” 

On the lower half of the bust, areas of black and white are in high contrast, dramatically defining the drape of the tunic and the folds of fabric. This creates a tantalising juxtaposition with the delicately modelled face above, left largely in pure porcelain except for the freely painted eyes, each executed in just four confident brushstrokes.

To close, it must also be noted that Parkinson’s Modernism was as much inspired by the Bayswater Group (aka the Picassoettes) as by Picasso himself.

As those who know us know, we feel Susan Parkinson remains shockingly underappreciated. It is perhaps unsurprising then that, to date, nobody has documented her connection to Dora Billington and the Bayswater Three, William Newland, Nicholas Vergette and Margaret Hine (and special mention to James Tower). However, the expression and aestetic of these figures is inextricably linked. All persons combined painting, sgraffito and wax resist to create varied and striking effects, commonly in black and white. Each explored animal motifs informed by English folk traditions, and imbued their work with a sense of humour. And they all largely worked in South East England.

Model Number: 67

Model Name: ‘Greek Head’

Designer: Susan Parkinson 

Manufacturer: Parkinson Pottery 

Year of Design: C. 1953

Dates Produced: C. 1953-60

Colour: Black, white 

Height: 33.5 cm, Width: 24 cm, Depth: 15 cm 

Condition: Excellent. Some Blu Tack putty within makers stamp.

Branding: Impressed with a test mark, and with ‘Richard Parkinson Pottery’.