To see some Original Guaranteed Clarice Cliff Pottery click on Decodance to visit our E Bay Store

 

To the newcomer, the world of Clarice Cliff can appear very confusing:-

How come, one piece can sell for £20, whilst another sells for £40,000?

How many patterns are there?

Why do some pieces look so different from others?

Which pieces are the best investment?

Original Bizarre Bowl.

One of the confusing elements is that the range of Clarice is absolutely vast and very diverse. The first Clarice pieces were issued in 1927 and consisted of traditional shapes on which were painted quite naive geometric designs. These are known as the ORIGINAL BIZARRE series and the very first issues have BIZARRE written on the underneath in rust red writing. These pieces, are collectible and "mid priced".

 Crocus Beaker.

A little later Clarice introduced her all time best seller- Crocus. This pattern was produced by her for many years up to the early sixties. Due to its long production, Crocus can generally be found for "lowish prices".

Trees & House Conical Jug/Pitcher

With more skill and confidence, Clarice ventured into surrealist LANDSCAPES. Examples are Summerhouse, Secrets, Autumn and Trees & House. At this time Clarice also started to design her own shapes and we see a distinct ART DECO influence. A landscape on an Art Deco shape will generally be more expensive than on a Traditional shape. Landscapes will be "mid priced" to "high priced".

 Crown Jug/Pitcher in Swirls pattern.

Continuing her Art Deco theme, Clarice also issued many ABSTRACT patterns. Examples are Windbells,Tennis, Carpet and Swirls. These are generally "high priced".

Various patterns were grouped by Clarice under range names eg Bizarre and Fantasque. However, these only serve to confuse as there really is no common theme to the them. She also introduced range names where the pieces were painted in a certain way or a particular type of glaze was used. Applique, features "an allover design" technique. Latona uses a milky white glaze (but not always) as opposed to the usual Honeyglaze. Inspiration used a double firing technique using metal oxides.

After, the second World War, the style of Clarice pottery changed dramatically. Gone were the vivid surreal patterns on avant garde shapes. Instead, insipid dinnerware was the order of the day. These are "very low priced".

Whereas, the rarity of a piece will have an impact on value, the main driver for a high price is the desirability of a piece. As a very general rule, the more colourful the pattern and the more Art Deco the shape, the more expensive it will be.

As to investment. Buy what you like! but try and buy the more expensive pieces as they will go up in value the most.

Article written by Colin, 

Author of British Art Deco Ceramics, Owner of  the decodance.com  website, E BAY Store Seller DECODANCE,

To see some Original Guaranteed Clarice Cliff Pottery click on Decodance to visit our E Bay Store

Have a look at these other Clarice Cliff Guides. Just click here Other Clarice Guides

 Windbells pattern on a Daffodil shape Bowl.

 Conical Teapot with Umbrella & Rain pattern.