# Edmund de Waal artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/edmund-de-waal/
Profile generated: 2026-05-30T11:15:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: British, English
- Movements: Contemporary art, Contemporary ceramics
- Common media: Porcelain, Ceramics, Installation art

## About Edmund de Waal

Edmund de Waal (born 1964) is a British ceramicist, contemporary artist, and writer internationally recognized for his large-scale installations of porcelain vessels. His practice centers on creating groupings of thrown and altered pots—often arranged in vitrines or on shelves—that respond to the history of specific collections, archives, and architectural spaces. De Waal's work sits at the intersection of ceramics, minimalism, and conceptual art, drawing on themes of memory, material culture, and the emotional resonance of objects. Beyond his studio practice, he is a celebrated author. His family memoir The Hare with Amber Eyes (2010) won the Costa Book Award for Biography and the RSL Ondaatje Prize, while The White Road (2015) traces the global history of porcelain. His work is held in major museum collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and he has created site-specific installations for institutions across Europe and North America.

## Common works and media

De Waal's most commonly encountered works at auction and in collections include thrown porcelain vessels—cylindrical pots, bowls, and lidded jars—often in pale celadon, white, or translucent glazes. These are typically displayed in groups or arrays within glass vitrines or on steel shelving. Collectors may also encounter works incorporating gold or platinum leaf, lead-glazed vessels, and black porcelain forms. Larger installations comprising dozens or hundreds of individual pieces are usually site-specific commissions less frequently seen at auction. Prints and editions of his writing, particularly signed copies of The Hare with Amber Eyes, also appear in the secondary market.

## Market and appraisal context

Edmund de Waal's work appears at auction primarily as individual porcelain vessels, smaller groupings, and occasionally larger installations. With over 200 auction records tracked, he is an established presence in the contemporary ceramics market. Factors affecting appraisal include the scale and complexity of the work, whether it is an individual vessel or a multi-part installation, exhibition and provenance history, and the presence of gold, lead, or other mixed-media elements. Works tied to significant institutional exhibitions or published in catalogues tend to carry stronger provenance. His dual reputation as both a visual artist and a bestselling author broadens the collector base beyond traditional ceramics buyers.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine independent artist identity research with public auction records, auction-house catalogue context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. This page draws on museum collection records, library authority files, the artist's official site, and published biographical references.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1287015
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_de_Waal
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500474754
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/2637340/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no98118265
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/48320
- RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/270488
- Edmund de Waal: http://www.edmunddewaal.com