William Merric (Merric) Boyd Australia, Britain, 1888-1959
Past Sales
Sales by Medium
Where to buy or sell art works by Merric Boyd
Auction Houses
About Merric Boyd
Born in Melbourne in 1888, William Merric Boyd, a sculptor, first studied drawing at the Melbourne National Gallery School. After successful experiments in pottery he built a pottery at the family home at Murrumbeena, near Melbourne, and soon became recognised as Australia's first art potter. After a period with the Australian Flying Corps during World War I, he spent some time working in the Staffordshire Potteries in England and on his return to Australia consolidated his reputation as Australia's finest potter. He is still regarded as the 'father of Australian pottery'. Ill-health forced him to give up pottery in later life and he then concentrated on drawing. A book of his later drawings was published in 1975.
The earliest auction listing we have for Merric Boyd is in 1975 and in total 284 works by the artist have been offered for sale, of which 187 (66%) were sold. The highest price recorded for the artist is $14,950 for Jug with Kookaburra Modelled in Relief 1933 sold by Sotheby's in August 1996. This year one work has been offered for sale. Works by Merric Boyd are held by the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria and a further five major public national galleries (see list below).
Merric Boyd is listed in the following standard biographical references:
- McCulloch, Alan McCulloch, Susan McCulloch, Emily McCulloch-Childs. The New McCulloch's Encyclopedia of Australian Art. 4th Edition, Aus Art Melbourne & The Miegunyah Press, 2006. Page 277
- Campbell, Jean. Australian Watercolour Painters: 1780 to the Present Day. Craftsman House, Sydney, 1989. Page 290
- Dictionary of Australian Artists Online, an online resource for biographical data about Australian artists, designers, craftspeople and curators.
- Australian Prints + Printmaking, a database listing printmaking artists from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region based on the print collection of the National Gallery of Australia.
Artists' Resale Royalty
Could the second and subsequent works by this artist sold after June 9, 2010 for over $1,000 be liable for the Artists' Resale Royalty? More info…
Yes, eligible, subject to the artist satisfying the residency test. The artist is alive or has been deceased for less than 70 years. Contact the Copyright Agency for information on the residency test.
The Australian Art Sales Digest is a database of over 610,000 works by more than 12,000 artists who are listed as having either lived or worked in Australia or New Zealand, and an additional 36,000 foreign and other artists, offered for sale by auction in Australia and New Zealand from the early 1970s to the present day.
Access to the database is available on either a monthly or annual subscription. During the subscription period you have unlimited access to the site. If you would like to subscribe, please proceed to our Subscription Form.