David Queensberry, who has died aged 96, was an adventurous designer with the highest aesthetic standards, an acute business sense and a deep, informed love of ceramics. With regard to his title of the 12th Marquess of Queensberry, he observed: “I come from quite a grand family but inherited absolutely nothing apart from a lot of old plates which were made for them in the late 18th century. So, it’s fortunate that I should be very interested in ceramics.” And love them he did, from industrial mocha wares to raku and stoneware, and the work of his students at the Royal College of Art in London, where he was professor of ceramics from 1959 until 1983.
With Martin Hunt, in 1966 he co-founded the design consultancy Queensberry Hunt, and together they bridged the frequently insuperable gulf between good design and commercial success. Their tableware had a global reach, and included the sculptural Concept range (1976) for Hornsea Pottery, and Trend (1983) for Rosenthal Thomas. Trend exemplified tableware designed for modern informality – symbolised by the pasta plate, a hybrid between a plate and bowl, now a standard form.
