David Hockney Water Lilies Ashtray

Last updated: 22 October 2026

What the David Hockney ashtray is

Salts Mill commissioned the ashtray to celebrate one of Hockney's recent pictures. Water Lilies in the Pond with Pots of Flowers is six iPad paintings arranged as one work, which is why the image on the ashtray is split into a grid.

Hockney painted it in June 2021, during the lockdown period he spent at his home and studio in Normandy. The full-size version was printed on two sheets of paper and mounted on Dibond panels, and it hung in his 20 Flowers and Some Bigger Pictures show at Pace in New York in 2023, according to The Brooklyn Rail.

Key facts

• Price: £225 at the Salts Mill shop
• Edition: 250 numbered pieces, plus 50 artist's proofs
• Size: about 20 x 16cm
• Made in: Stoke-on-Trent, where it is also decorated
• Finish: hand cast, so the surface texture varies from one ashtray to the next
• Numbering: each ashtray is numbered on the back and comes with a matching numbered slip
• Packaging: a black Salts gift box, also made in Stoke

Why Salts Mill sells it

Salts Mill is a former textile mill in Saltaire, West Yorkshire. Its 1853 Gallery, named after the year the mill opened, shows a large number of his paintings, etchings and drawings, and it is free to enter. The mill's shop sells prints, cards and posters of his work alongside small editions like this one.

Who the David Hockney ashtray suits

• Hockney collectors: it is a numbered edition, which is rarer than a poster or a postcard.
• Gardeners and people who love his landscapes: the pond, the trees and the pots of flowers were painted at his house in Normandy.
• Anyone who smokes and wants something better than a saucer: it is a working ashtray, with cigarette rests built into the rim.

For more from his recent work, see our review of the David Hockney exhibition in London.

The limits

£225 is a lot for a ceramic dish, and you are paying for a numbered edition. The same picture is available from Salts Mill as a poster, a mini frame and postcards for far less.

The ashtray is numbered, not signed. If a Hockney signature matters to you, this is not that kind of edition.

Because each one is cast by hand, small marks and changes in texture are part of the piece. Salts Mill says to expect them, so do not count on an even surface.

Where to buy the David Hockney ashtray in the UK

The Salts Mill shop had it in stock on 22 October 2026. I struggled to find it new anywhere else, including Amazon UK.

Hockney ashtray at Salts Mill

FAQs

How much is the David Hockney ashtray?

£225 from the Salts Mill shop.

How many David Hockney ashtrays were made?

250 numbered pieces, plus 50 artist's proofs.

Is the Hockney ashtray signed?

No. Each one is numbered on the back and comes with a numbered slip of paper.

Where is the Hockney ashtray made?

In Stoke-on-Trent, where it is cast by hand and decorated.

Which Hockney painting is on the ashtray?

Water Lilies in the Pond with Pots of Flowers, a 2021 work made from six iPad paintings.

More from CoolCuration

• David Hockney Serpentine tray: another Hockney picture on a tray.
• Gifts for artists: presents for people who paint, draw and visit galleries.
• theprintspace discount code: money off giclée prints of your own work.
• Best refurbished iPads UK: if Hockney has you wanting to paint on an iPad.
• Tracey Emin cat bowl: an artist's ceramic from the Tate shop.

I checked the price and stock at the Salts Mill shop on 22 October 2026.

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