Art Deco Summer Frocks 1914 Ceramic Vase by Sally Tuffin for Dennis Chinaworks

Details

Description

A superb and exceptionally rare dennis chinaworks vase, “summer frocks 1914”, designed by renowned ceramic artist sally tuffin. This impressive … Read more A superb and exceptionally rare dennis chinaworks vase, “summer frocks 1914”, designed by renowned ceramic artist sally tuffin. This impressive 12.75-inch tubelined vase is number 10 of a strictly limited edition of only 20 pieces, making it an especially desirable example for collectors of dennis chinaworks, sally tuffin and moorcroft-associated ceramics.

this is a truly striking centrepiece vase, designed to be admired from every angle. The decoration wraps around the entire vessel, allowing the vase to be repositioned to reveal different scenes and colour combinations depending on its surroundings or the flowers displayed within it.

the design features four beautifully illustrated early 20th-century ladies wearing elegant “summer frocks”, inspired by the changing fashions of the period around 1914. Three of the women wear elaborate hats, while another carries fruit. Their long dresses feature strong vertical stripes which beautifully suggest the folds and movement of the fabric.

the vibrant sunshine-yellow ground, together with the stylised fruit trees and fashionable figures, gives the vase a wonderfully fresh and sophisticated art deco character. It is a particularly accomplished example of sally tuffin’s distinctive decorative style.

sally tuffin

sally tuffin is particularly well known to collectors for her highly distinctive tubelined ceramics and her important association with moorcroft, where she served as design director from 1986 to 1993.

her work combines influences from the arts & crafts movement, art nouveau and early 20th-century decorative design, producing ceramics that are instantly recognisable for their strong colour, flowing decoration and painstaking tubelined detail.

for collectors familiar with her moorcroft work, this dennis chinaworks vase provides an excellent opportunity to acquire a much rarer piece from her later career.

a strictly limited edition

only 20 examples of “summer frocks 1914” were produced. This vase is number 10/20, making it a particularly scarce collector's piece.

tubelining

tubelining, also known as slip trailing, is a highly skilled ceramic decorating technique in which liquid clay or slip is carefully squeezed through a fine nozzle directly onto the surface of the pottery.

the raised lines form the outlines of the design and create the characteristic relief effect associated with many important pieces of art pottery.

the technique is painstaking, requiring considerable precision and experience, and has long been particularly associated with moorcroft and other specialist art potteries.

on this vase, the extensive tubelined decoration is an important part of its visual appeal, defining the figures, clothing, foliage and architectural elements with remarkable clarity.

dennis chinaworks

dennis chinaworks was founded in 1993 by sally and richard dennis and became renowned for distinctive studio pottery influenced by late 19th- and early 20th-century decorative art.

the pottery operated from a converted victorian gothic rectory in somerset, england. Sally tuffin brought her considerable design experience to the pottery following her earlier career in fashion and her influential period at moorcroft.

the pottery's pieces were individually produced, with decoration incorporating techniques including incising, underglazing and slip trailing.

their highly collectible ceramics reflect sally tuffin's love of historic decorative styles while retaining a distinctive contemporary character.

artistic inspiration – 1914 fashion

the “summer frocks 1914” design draws inspiration from the extraordinary changes taking place in fashion during the early 20th century.

the period saw the gradual departure from the heavier silhouettes and formal restrictions associated with the victorian era. By the years immediately preceding the first world war, fashionable clothing had become increasingly fluid, elegant and expressive.

the design is particularly evocative of the illustrated fashion publications of the period, including the celebrated gazette du bon ton, founded by lucien vogel in 1912.

the publication brought together fashion and fine art, commissioning some of the leading artists and illustrators of the era. The resulting imagery has become highly collectible in its own right and provides a fascinating source of inspiration for this dennis chinaworks design.

measurements

height: 12.75 inches
rim diameter: 5⅛ inches
base diameter: 3 inches

condition

excellent condition, with no chips, cracks or other significant damage noted.

a genuinely rare and highly decorative sally tuffin / dennis chinaworks limited-edition vase, with only 20 examples produced. Number 10/20, this is an exceptional centrepiece for collectors of studio pottery, moorcroft, dennis chinaworks and early 20th-century-inspired decorative ceramics. See less