Runner Duck

This stoneware runner duck was made by Reginald Wells (1877-1951) sometime between 1920-25. It was a gift from Ernest Marsh in 1943.

Indian Runners are a very special breed of domestic duck. As their name suggests, they run rather than waddle like other ducks. When they were first imported into Europe nearly 200 years ago they attracted attention because of their tall, upright bodies and their reputation for incredible egg laying. They had been found in the East Indies, from where they get their name, but were called 'Penguin Ducks' by Dutch explorers and early importers.

Reginald Wells was one of the most interesting potters of the early 20th-century. He studied at Camberwell School of Arts and began to pot at Coldrum in Kent in 1900. His early pieces were slipware. He moved to Chelsea in 1907 and began designing, but not making, earthenware inspired by Tang and Sung Chinese pots. In 1925 he moved to Storrington in Sussex where he began to throw pots himself and work in stoneware.

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