Large Carbon-Trapped Stoneware Ginger Jar by Alex Shimwell (2024)

A commanding hand-thrown stoneware ginger jar by Derbyshire-based potter Alex Shimwell. The piece is fired using a carbon trapping technique, which creates a dramatic, deep black surface with subtle tonal variation — then finished with a raw wood ash decoration that adds texture and an organic, unpredictable quality to the glaze.

Standing at 24cm tall, this is a substantial, sculptural piece that makes a strong statement on a mantelpiece, sideboard, or plinth. The ginger jar form — with its domed lid and generous body — is one of the most enduring shapes in ceramics, here given a distinctly contemporary, studio treatment.

• Size: 24cm tall
• Material: Stoneware
• Technique: Hand-thrown, carbon trapping, wood ash decoration
• Signed by the artist

Alex Shimwell began potting in the early 2000s in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, taught by master potter Kevin Millward. He now works from his studio in Derbyshire, producing a small, considered body of work in the British studio ceramics tradition.

Carbon trapping and wood ash glazes produce unique results — no two pieces are identical.