A wonderful Clarice Cliff Autumn Crocus Stamford teapot with good, bright and bold paintwork. And, better still, it is an early one, as it is the original Stamford teapot design that Clarice intended - having an angular spout. The design was later modified, for although it looked great, it didn't pour well. The underside is stamped "Crocus Hand painted Bizarre by Clarice Cliff, Wilkinson Ltd England",and dates to 1930 / 1931.

History

Clarice Cliff (1899 – 1972) is one of the most renowned and accomplished ceramic designers of the twentieth century, and her ground-breaking Bizarre ware created from late 1927 through to the mid-to-late 1930s has - quite understandably - achieved worldwide recognition. Born in Tunstall, Stoke On Trent, UK, the heart of The Potteries, the ambitious Clarice Cliff worked her way up from modelling, gilding, outlining and enamelling in various ceramic producing factories until she became art director at A J Wilkinson, aged 30; unheard of, and a first, for a women - not a man - to be in such a senior position and in a highly prestigious firm.

Clarice was then given her own studio at the adjoining Newport Pottery, where she experimented with on-glaze enamel colours on factory seconds that had imperfections. Her Original Bizarre patterns were based around triangles, big and bold, which hid any defects to the bodies of the ceramics, and, more importantly, because they trail-blazed the new modern jazz-age look, which other UK potteries had failed to embrace, they proved to be an instant success. Clarice then developed her own ground-breaking modern shapes (that we now call Art Deco) to tie in with a vast range of her newly designed patterns, from stylised landscapes and florals to bold cubist, geometric and abstract designs that she developed from 1928 – and to stunning effect - as shown here in Clarice's iconic D-shaped Stamford teapot, conical cups, and geometric Bonjour milk and sugar. It is no wonder that her work is so fervently sought after, and has been since the 1970s. It’s full of such joy, such style and such fun - and nothing then or since can compete with its unparalleled uniqueness.

Crocus

In 1928 Clarice produced her signature and best-loved design, Autumn Crocus. A simple, joyous, hand-painted pattern of crocus flowers in vibrant orange, blue and purple. Each flower was composed by using upward brush strokes while holding the piece upside down; the thin lined leaves were then added among the flowers.  Yellow banding above and brown below, to denote the sun and earth, was added to vases, bowls, and tea wares to ‘frame’ the flowers. Crocus was painted on every shape imaginable in the Bizarre shop, where paintresses - the Bizarre Girls - were trained on how to execute the pattern. Each decorator applied just one petal colour, and then a ‘leafer’ finished the pattern before a bander and liner added the brown and yellow banding. Everything hand-painted, and by a team of experts in this one so simple yet so exceptional pattern: Autumn Crocus. We love Crocus, and our Stamford Teapot we offer here stands testament to the marvel that is Clarice Cliff.

Material: glazed earthenware

Manufacturer: Wilkinson Ltd, UK

Designer: Clarice Cliff 

Year of manufacture: c.1930

Dimensions of teapot: Length from spout to handle 14cm  Height 12cm  Diameter 7cm

Condition: there's a small very professional restoration to one corner of the lid, and a small chip to the inside rim of the teapot, yet not noticeable when the lid is in place - see images.