The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 48 No 3 November 2009

Perspective
Merrie Boyd, Koala , 1915, earthenware; Jug , 1926, earthenware; Jar with Gumnut. 1937, earthenware. All works collection
of Shepparton Art Gallery, Vidoria; photo: courtesy Shepparton Art Gallery
A Family Affair - the Boyds
and the History of Australian
Ceramics
Damon Moon discusses an overlooked chapter in the history of Australian ceramics
If Australia can lay claim to having an artistic dynasty, it is to be found in the Boyds. This country
has produced many worthy artists but there is no other family that can boast members who rose to
prominence in the fields of painting, literature, architecture and ceramics, and did so over several
generations.
It is well known that many of the Boyds made ceramics, but what is unusual is the depth of their
familial or collective involvement and the way ceramics were seamlessly integrated into a life of rich
artistic endeavour.
The Boyd's involvement in the arts can be traced back to the late nineteenth century, to Arthur Merrie
Boyd snr and Emma Minnie Boyd', both accomplished painters who had studied at the Royal College
of Art in London. They had three children: Martin, who would become a well-known novelist, Penleigh,
who was hailed as one of Australia's most promising young painters until his untimely death in 1931,
and William Merrie, who would become the first Australian artist potter.
24 THE JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS NOVEMBER 2009