Collecting Clarice Cliff Ceramics
Clarice Cliff is England’s most recognised ceramicist, her colourful and eye-catching designs as appealing today as they were when crafted close to a century ago. As we feature a beautiful selection of Clarice Cliff pottery in An Art Deco Collection, we take a look at her life, designs and enduring appeal.
A Life in Pottery
Born in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, Clarice Cliff (1899 to 1972) began her career at age 13. Known as the ‘The Potteries’, Stoke-on-Trent had been a pottery centre since the 18th century, so it’s unsurprising that Clarice stepped into ceramics. After a few years with various potters she moved to A. J. Wilkinson Pottery, which quickly noticed her creativity. The company gave her a studio in 1927, and the same year she launched her now iconic ‘Bizarre’ range.
Three years later, Clarice was appointed Art Director of A. J. Wilkinson, an incredible achievement at a time when women were rarely recognised in business. She married Colley Shorter in 1940, and together they moved to Chetwynd House in Clayton. Clarice lived there until her death in 1972.
A. J. Wilkinson continue to produce Clarice Cliff ceramics until 1964, but her work continued to make waves. The first exhibition of Clarice Cliff ceramics was held in Brighton in 1972, with the book – Clarice Cliff by Peter Wentworth-Sheilds and Kay Johnson – launched at the opening. Leonard Griffin established the Clarice Cliff Collectors Club in 1982, and in June 1983 Christie’s held the first dedicated auction, Bizarre Pottery by Clarice Cliff – the Property of a European Collector. Wedgwood ultimately purchased the Clarice Cliff name and to celebrate her centenary, held a major retrospective at the Wedgwood Museum in Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent, in 1999.
Photo: claricecliff.com
An Eye for Line & Colour
Today, Clarice Cliff stands as one of England’s most innovative and collectable ceramicists, in large part to her highly individual designs in saturated colours. She was also an astute business woman, crafting appealing and affordable ranges specifically designed for the home.
Art Deco was a strong influence from the outset, her Bizarre Ware line featuring abstract and geometric patterns and forms. It found an audience immediately, the arresting colours in stark contrast to conservative colour schemes of the day.
In 1928, Clarice first featured flowers, the Crocus range illustrated with handpainted crocus flowers in orange, purple and blue. Her Chintz range also featured wide, flat flowers, in blues, greens and oranges. Another popular motif was the sunburst, an abstract sun with rays that she painted on cups, jugs, teacups and bowls. As with her palette of summery oranges and yellows, the sun motif found a large following in 1920s and depression-era Britain. By the late 20s, Clarice was also experimenting with shape, her triangular teacup handles and conical salt and pepper shakers recalling both Art Deco and Cubist forms.
Invited to join the British Bloomsbury Group in the 1930s – a collective of influential artists, writers and intellectuals – she branched out into new designs including her ‘Circus’ pattern, which featured in Harrod’s ‘Modern Art for the Table” campaign in 1934. Landscape vignettes followed, with the Bizarre “Honolulu” and “Fantasque” ranges appearing in bright, enamelled colours.
Clarice also designed small figural centrepieces, her ‘Age of Jazz’ sculptural tableaus featuring 20s era dancers and musicians. These continue to be some of her most popular works, regularly selling for over $5,000 at auction.
Pictured: A Clarice Cliff Sunray “Tea for Two” Bizarre Teapot
Collecting Clarice Cliff Ceramics
From her earliest ranges, Clarice Cliff admirers were drawn to the distinctive designs, dazzling patterns and sun-drenched hues. There’s a timelessness to her designs such that they appear equally at home in 1920s, mid 20th century and contemporary settings. It was in the 1960s and ’70s however, when collectors really began to take an interest in Clarice Cliff ceramics, likely on the back of her inclusion in a major Art Deco exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts in 1971, and her first solo exhibition in Brighton the following year.
Casi Prischl, Head of Auctions at Theodore Bruce, observes there’s strong appeal both within and beyond collecting circles. “Clarice Cliff pottery is really ageless, and highly distinctive. You can recognise her work immediately. Many collectors look to the earliest Bizarre Ware pieces, particularly rare and signed items, but there are also buyers simply drawn to the unusual shapes, colours and lines. We find there’s a huge and ongoing interest in her pottery, which unlike some makers, has never really diminished.”
Given the popularity of Clarice Cliff, her work has also been extensively copied, which is one thing that new collectors should be wary of. A specialist can assess pieces carefully, considering back stamps and signatures, to determine that it is genuine.
We are delighted to bring a wonderful collection of Clarice Cliff teapots, bowls, plates and objects to auction in An Art Deco Collection on Tuesday 5 August, with bidding now online. You may also find her pottery in our regular Decorative Arts auctions.
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Pictured: A Clarice Cliff Melon (Red) Fantasque Bizarre Plate, c. 1932
