Little-known rarities in March 18 Clarice Cliff ceramics auction
Plate in Red Carpet pattern, circa 1930. Estimate $2,800-$4,250. Image courtesy Bonhams.
LONDON – The finest single-owner collection of Clarice Cliff pottery ever to come to the market will be offered in a March 18 sale at Bonhams’ New Bond Street gallery in London. The 100-piece collection amassed by oilman Sevi Guatelli includes many rare patterns and shapes designed by the woman often described as Britain’s most important ceramicist of the Art Deco period.
The collection, which pulses with vibrant color, has a direct relevance for today’s world in that the very hardship and bleakness of the Great Depression of the 1930s is what led to the success of the cheerful wares. For a population facing great hardship, the arrival of the Clarice Cliff designs in the shops was akin to the sun rising. The hand-painted, unusually shaped teacups, teapots, vases and plates were an overnight success.
Mark Oliver, Head of Design at Bonhams believes there will be strong competition for objects in the Guatelli collection, noting that items once affordable to middle-class British families now sell for major money. “In the sale we have many pieces which are estimated to sell for $17,000 which originally cost just a few shillings!” Oliver said.
Design 1860-1945 specialist Natalie Evison, said,” This collection highlights Clarice Cliff’s distinct style of the Art Deco and early Modernist periods, representing the very best of her bold abstract designs and shapes including many rare examples that have not been seen on the market for many years.”
Sevi Guatelli, a Swiss-born oilman who married a Scotswoman and settled in Glasgow, fell in love with the work of Clarice Cliff and began to collect her work in the spring of 1990. The spark that ignited his enthusiasm for Cliff came when his niece chose Clarice Cliff as a topic for a school project. Her enthusiasm became infectious, and soon the thrill of the chase and the pleasure of learning about and acquiring works became Guatelli’s pastime and investment.
“Her work soon became my passion,” said Guatelli. “Whenever I found myself away from the very different world of oil exploration, I made my way to antique shops and auction houses where I might indulge this growing love and respect for her work.”
Clarice Cliff’s work made its impact at a time of economic hardship and turmoil. Her work exploded into the gray drab post-World War I era with its vigorous, avant-garde design and flamboyant color spectrum, lighting up shop windows and people’s lives. Guatelli said that Cliff’s work was intended for the younger generation, who were ready to embark on a new way of life, with a lighter, freer approach to fashion and home ware. This in turn demanded a new functionality and mode of display, and her wares fit the bill exactly.
Coupled with the aesthetic of these bold and architectural works, Guatelli was also inspired with what Clarice Cliff represented as an individual. “It is because of this winning combination of imaginative, strongly colored designs painted by young artists in a naïve style, and her extraordinary business acumen, that Clarice Cliff can be described and should be looked upon as one of Britain’s most successful Art Deco representatives and entrepreneurs. She was not only a revolutionary, she was a visionary.”
Clarice Cliff (1899-1972) was a pioneer in her work. Her fresh and innovative designs were well ahead of their time during the 1920s and ’30s, so much so that Cliff became a household name. In the1930s, her designs moved from her more familiar floral patterns, which were commercial at the time, to edgy, abstract designs. Many of the designs show the artist’s appreciation of contemporary art trends, as some have a distinctly Modernist aspect both in their decoration and design. Her style is captivating, spontaneous and fluid, representing bold visions and beliefs. Post-Impressionism influences the designs of Cliff’s work with the inspiration of such artists as Piet Mondrian, and abstraction movements such as Cubism and De Stijl.
Clarice Cliff’s work seems to be derived from an interesting combination of nature and the modern world. The bright designs are distinct modernity; the bold outbreak of color and the abstract designs that characterize Clarice Cliff all lend a contemporary spirit to today’s world of interiors.
This sale includes pieces from the highest level of collecting – important lots that will draw international interest. But the newer generation of collectors who have had fewer opportunities in the past to acquire interesting works at attractive prices may also find entry points at this event.
About Clarice Cliff:
Clarice Cliff at the Newport Pottery in 1933. Image by Leonard Griffin, courtesy of Claricecliff.com via Wikipedia.
Clarice Cliff was born in 1899 in Staffordshire and in her teens worked as a ceramic painter at the local factory of A.J. Wilkinson. She studied at Tunstall School of Art, Staffordshire, and later at the Royal College of Art, Kensington. Clarice began her typical bright designs in 1927, decorating the firm’s surplus stock. At first her daring china was sold at a factory store, however the popularity of the pieces even then meant that the “Bizarre” range was sold in Selfridges and other department stores all over Britain.
The pottery ranges were very popular, especially the Original Bizarre and the Crocus designs. The accessible and affordable pottery ranges were very popular, especially the floral designs, which were used daily in households all over Britain.
Clarice was effectively given free reign in the design of her Bizarre ware, an unprecedented role for a woman at that time. During the 1930s in the factory’s heyday, Clarice headed a team of more than 40 ceramic painters nicknamed the “Bizarre Girls and Boys,” who were kept busy and remained true to creating artistic and imaginative works. In 1930 Clarice Cliff was appointed Art Director of A. J.Wilkinson, and in 1940 she married her boss, Colley Shorter.
About Sevi Guatelli:
Sevi Guatelli is the son of two artists, Roland and Lina. He graduated with a degree in chemistry in 1970, and was employed by oil-related companies, first in Italy and then in the UK. As Managing Director and Chairman, Sevi sold his oil company in 2005.
Guatelli’s passion for collecting Clarice Cliff pottery began in the 1990s. In 2008, Guatelli published a comprehensive book, The Best of Clarice Cliff. Order online at www.thebestofclaricecliff.com.
ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
Closeup shot of conical tea-for-two set in Football pattern, circa 1930. Estimate $8,500-$11,350. Image courtesy Bonhams.
Globe vase in Appliqué Windmill pattern, circa 1930. Estimate $7,000-$10,000. Image courtesy Bonhams.
Grouping of Clarice Cliff pottery in the rare circa-1930s pattern called Sunspots. Image courtesy Bonhams.
Stepped vase in Sunray pattery, circa 1930. Estimate $4,250-$7,000. Image courtesy Bonhams.
Circa-1930 double-handle Lotus jug in the Tennis pattern. Estimate $10,000-$12,700. Image courtesy Bonhams.
