LOS ANGELES, CA.- An extraordinary assembly of Marblehead pottery from the collection of Bruce Willis will be offered at Bonhams, one of the largest international fine art auction houses. Twenty-five lots will be offered, the highlight of which is a green glazed earthenware corseted vase with geometric decoration of stems and squares designed by Arthur Irwin Hennesey and decorated by Sarah Tutt (est. $40,000-60,000) in the 20th Century Decorative Arts Auction on October 27 in Los Angeles.

Initially, Marblehead Pottery started as part of a therapy program developed by Herbert J. Hall, MD for patients with nervous disorders. Hall hired Arthur Baggs, a student at Alfred University, to lead and oversee the program, teaching pottery to Hall's patients. In 1915, Hall sold Marblehead Pottery to Baggs as a separate commercial venture, and it remained a small operation of six craftspeople, many of whom began their apprenticeships as patients.

This carefully-edited collection conveys the consignor's keen eye for the pottery's recognizable purity and restraint, and this particular group exhibits diversity in style, form and technique. Created during the American Arts and Crafts movement, the collection brilliantly articulates Marblehead's artistic development and will appeal to ceramic enthusiasts and collectors alike.

Commenting on the sale, Bonhams Director of 20th Century Decorative Arts in Los Angeles, Dan Tolson says, "This extraordinary auction features a rich variety of masterpieces of design and decorative arts from across the 20th century, from one of the most important private collections of American arts & crafts ceramics by the Marblehead pottery, to masterpieces of 1950s furniture design by seminal Danish designers Finn Juhl and Hans Wegner. Other highlights of Scandinavian design include the exciting rediscovery of a documented abstract stoneware bowl by revered Danish artist Axel Salto whose whereabouts was unknown for the previous 60 years, to a remarkably intact set-piece interior of 1970s sophisticated luxury from the Beverly Hills apartment of the late Larry Harmon (aka Bozo the Clown). The auction is concluded, with an epic Dale Chihuly masterwork installation from one of San Francisco's most renowned restaurants of the 1990s Zeitgeist, Postrio."