Clarice Cliff Art Deco Pottery: Vase #763

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About Clarice Cliff:

Clarice Cliff was one of seven children born into a working-class family in 1899 in the industrial … Read more About Clarice Cliff:

Clarice Cliff was one of seven children born into a working-class family in 1899 in the industrial town of Tunstall in Staffordshire, in the Midlands of England. ‘Her father worked in the iron industry and her mother took in washing to supplement their income,’ explains decorative arts specialist Natalie Voorheis. At the end of the 19th century, there were no fewer than 13 pottery works in Tunstall and, as was usual for girls at the time, Cliff was sent to work in the potteries at the age of just 13.

But Cliff was to prove no ordinary factory girl. ‘Most of her peers would have sat tight after landing a job like this, but a few years later she took the unconventional step of moving to another factory, A.J. Wilkinson’s,’ the specialist continues. ‘It meant a long commute, but her new employer offered better career opportunities.’

The Vogue Editor’s Choice:

Cliff was a prolific artist and produced many hundreds of designs during the inter-war period, but her style remains immediately recognisable. ‘Some of the common threads are bright colours, patterns, and interesting shapes,’ says the specialist. ‘They're vibrant and light-hearted — I think that’s why they’re still so appealing.’

When the fashion documentary The First Monday in May was released in cinemas in 2016, fans of Vogue were treated to a view of Anna Wintour’s office and New York home, revealing the magazine’s influential editor-in-chief to be an avid collector of Clarice Cliff ceramics. ‘There were all these minimal, neutral furnishings, highlighted by stunning pops of colour provided by Cliff’s designs,’ Voorheis says. ‘Cliff’s ceramics are timeless.’

Although these pieces were designed and bought to function as household items, they are now considered to be important examples of British Art Deco style. See less