A stunning Clarice Cliff Orange Erin plate with wonderful, intense and unblemished paintwork - so good it looks box-fresh, straight from the 1930s Potteries. The underside is stamped "Hand Painted Bizarre by Clarice Cliff Wilkinson Ltd Made in England" and with shape number "34". 

History

Clarice Cliff (1899 – 1972) is one of the most renowned, talented 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, a women - not a man - 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. 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.

Erin

The Erin pattern of cloud-shaped bushes with flowers floating amongst clouds was designed by Clarice in 1933 and produced in two colour ways: orange and green. Designed at the same time as May Avenue, Clarice's most sort-after and rarest of patterns, it bears all the hallmarks of Clarice's new direction with Bizarre - a finer line and a more cohesive colour palette. Our tea plate is a wonderful example of Orange Erin - intense coloration and so perfect, it could have been made yesterday.

Material: glazed earthenware

Manufacturer: Wilkinson Ltd, UK

Designer: Clarice Cliff 

Year of manufacture: c.1933

Dimensions: Diameter 17cm

Condition: immaculate - if you wanted to be picky, there's some slight crazing, but then that's characteristic of most Clarice Cliff of this age.