JESSIE MARION KING (1875-1949) GROUP OF FOUR SAUCERS, EARLY 20TH CENTURY

painted earthenware, signed to each with Greengate and rabbit cyphers, 15.5cm diameter; together with TWO TEACUPS, painted earthenware, one similarly marked, the other indistinct, 7.5cm high (Qty: 6) Qty: (6) Footnote: Note: Despite the disapproval of her parents, Jessie Marion King pursued her early artistic promise and enrolled at the Glasgow School of Art in 1892. There she was encouraged by the inspirational, liberal Headmaster, Fra Newbery, to maintain her 'child-like vision' while developing her natural gift for linear expression. Primarily known for her book illustrations, King also designed an array of intricate silver and jewellery pieces for Liberty’s of London. After marrying the artist E. A. Taylor, the pair lived in Salford, followed by a stay in Paris, before eventually settling at her residence, ‘Greengate’, in Kirkcudbright in 1915. Here, they ran summer schools in Arran and befriended young emerging artists such as Cecile Walton, S.J. Peploe and Anne Redpath, all of whom became prominent figures in the town. By the 1920’s King established the ‘Greengate Close Coterie’ a group of women artists who were King’s tenants in the cottages she renovated on Greengate Close and this helped foster a close-knit community of artists living and working in an exciting hub of creativity. During this time, as well as continuing with her book illustrations, King turned her attention to ceramics and began painting on pottery blanks, which were sold exclusively through Paul Jones's Tea Rooms in Kirkcudbright. Her love for ‘Greengate’ features on all of her pieces as she used this motif to sign her pottery. Throughout her varied professional career, King retained a distinctly individual style as she chose not to draw from life, but instead from ‘her own mind’, conjuring up fantasy-like scenes of fairies and pixies on enchanting adventures.