Dave Jenkin

David "Dave" Jenkin (5 May 1919 – 2002) was a New Zealand ceramics designer best known for his role as head designer at Crown Lynn Potteries Ltd during the mid-20th century. He played a leading part in developing New Zealand’s industrial ceramics and domestic tableware design. In 1948, when the company adopted the name Crown Lynn Potteries, he was appointed head of a newly established design department where he broadened design choices within the company up until he retired in 1979. This method was used to decorate vases and small model animals which involved coating in a base glaze then trickling another colour over the top or adding further colours.

The National Library of New Zealand holds extensive Crown Lynn archives, including studio records that document Jenkin’s design leadership and the work of his colleagues. His career and the wider significance of Crown Lynn ceramics have been discussed in design histories, exhibitions and academic conferences.

Selected designs