stoneware bottle vase, 7in tall, £250

William (Bill) Marshall was born in St Ives and became the first apprentice at the Leach Pottery in the town in 1938, aged just 14. Following conscription, he returned to St Ives after the Second World War and became the senior craftsman and foreman of the pottery, working directly with Bernard Leach from 1955. Many of the most impressive ceramics thrown in the 1960s and 1970s were created by Marshall, even if they do not bear his maker's mark.

Marshall established his own workshop in Lelant in 1977 with his son Andrew and continued to make pots up until his death in 2007. His work is heavily influenced by Shoji Hamada, as well as by the landscape of his native Cornwall. Bill Marshall was a member of the Penwith Society of Artists and his work can be found in collections around the globe, including in the Victoria and Albert Museum.