arrangement of items colored and blue transferware
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Colin Knight

Colin KnightWe remember with fondness Colin Knight, who with his wife, Patricia, formed a formidable ceramic collecting team. Born in England in 1934, Colin was always proud of his British heritage. He experienced the horrors of World War II in Ceylon when the house they lived in was bombed by the Japanese. His father, a civil engineer had worked with the British army to fortify the harbor at Trincomalee.

The family returned to England and settled in Southampton. At the age of 17 Colin discovered semi-conductors and decided this was his project for life. At Southampton University he met Patricia; they married and emigrated to the USA. Colin spent the rest of his life in Silicon Valley researching and developing electronic devices. You can think of him when you use your cell phone and computer.

Colin had always been intrigued by the manufacture of porcelain, so when he retired he decided to collect ceramics. He joined the San Francisco Ceramic Circle to learn more about both pottery and porcelain. He was president of this society for three terms and worked closely with the Legion of Honor museum, and co-hosted a TCC regional meeting with Pat. He gave lectures and wrote several articles for different ceramic clubs. He wrote three for the TCC, one identifying the maker of a dish by its molded handles and a second about a view of Mount Vesuvius on a Wedgwood pink transfer cup and saucer. Colin and Pat also composed a fascinating compilation of the transferware plates they had collected, each representing a phase of their lives and corresponding to a location where they had lived. The primary article can be found in TCC Bulletin 2023, Vol. 25, No. 2, with a supplement in Bulletin 2024, vol. 26, No. 1.

Colin died January 2025 at the age of 90. His enthusiasm made the collecting of ceramics exciting. He will be missed.

Patricia Knight and David Hoexter