FOUR bowls by Dame Lucie Rie, considered the greatest British female potter of the 20th Century, have sold at auction in Stansted Mountfitchet, for almost nine thousand pounds.

Dunmow Broadcast: This Alvar Aalto chair sold for £7,800.This Alvar Aalto chair sold for £7,800. (Image: Archant)

The works of art were put up for sale with guide prices between £200 and £1,000 by Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers at their specialist art sale on Tuesday January 29.

Rie was one of the leading potters after World War II, who took inspiration for her work from Japan and revolutionised British studio pottery. Her iconic studio has been recreated as an exhibit in the Ceramics Gallery of the Victoria & Albert Museum.

In the same auction a classic chair by one of the leading modernist designers of the 20th Century, sold for £7,800. The bent wood framed chair called ‘Paimio’ was designed for use by patients in a tuberculosis sanatorium in southwestern Finland.

The chair, which started with a guide price of £5000, is thought to be one of the first examples of this design and dates back to 1932. It was being sold by the owner who bought it on eBay.

Sworders’ Director, John Black, said: “What was exceptional about this piece was that even today it looks incredibly modern, but is in fact 80 years old. Back in 1932, this would have been an absolute statement piece of furniture, and that’s what makes it so attractive.

“Aalto’s iconic style continues to influence mass-made production items that are still very popular – a sure sign of a good quality design.”