New Acquisition: Emilie Taylor’s Without Law, 2025

The Stradling Collection is pleased to announce the acquisition of work by ceramicist Emilie Taylor: Without Law (after ‘Three Spinsters’ by Sam Haile), 2025 featuring Boss Morris. This hand-built stoneware vessel, finished in oak and cream slipware with lustre, marks a bold and thoughtful addition to the Collection.

Taylor was invited to respond to Sam Haile’s Three Spinsters (1947), a key ceramic work already held in the Collection. Drawing on the shared material language of slipware, Taylor brings a contemporary voice to the historic aspects of Haile’s piece through myth, craft, and the representation of women. Her pot reimagines the legendary Three Spinsters as powerful, celebratory figures, weaving together references to folk dance, Brutalist architecture, and the visual languages of the Arts and Crafts movement.

The acquisition strengthens our focus on modern and contemporary ceramics while deepening connections to themes of place, identity, and narrative. Taylor’s work speaks to the ways in which women occupy both decorative and public spaces—joyfully, politically, and with strength. It resonates powerfully with Bristol and the wider region through its cultural references and architectural motifs.

This new addition embodies the values at the heart of our collection: excellence in making, relevance to place, and a commitment to artists who challenge and expand the stories we tell.