An impressive display of shape 14 (mei ping) vases is sure to attract attention! Designs include ‘Coral Firs’, ‘Floreat’, ‘Original’ Bizarre’ and ‘Autumn’, in a choice of sizes.
 

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The Star lot of this sale is likely to be the ‘Appliqué Lugano’ Charger. Amazingly, this is the actual ‘Lugano’ charger used by Clarice Cliff in a photograph of the range she took in her Newport Pottery studio in spring 1930 for use in magazine features.

The blue and orange banding indicates this to be part of the prototype range, and the hand-painted ‘Appliqué’ mark shows Clarice had the pieces outlined by her former boss John Butler. This is the first recorded charger in ‘Lugano’, a 10.5 inch wall plaque is known but no 13 inch wall plaque has been seen.

There is a ‘feast of Appliqué’ as also to be sold is an ‘Appliqué Lucerne’ Conical coffee set. These sets are rare, and this one with an Australian provenance is pictured in ‘Clarice Cliff the Art of Bizarre’ on page 107.
 

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There is an impressive selection of ‘Appliqué Avignon‘ including a Lotus jug, a Conical jug (damaged) a shape 358 vase and a rare  342 vase ~ this is the first example of ‘Avignon’ on this early shape we can trace going through auction in recent years. ‘Avignon’ like ‘Lugano’ and ‘Lucerne’ was one of the few ‘Appliqué’ patterns that featured colour over nearly all the ware. Only the handle and the underneath of the bridge are left undecorated, plus the ‘light’ in the yellow water was created by removing the paint with the end of the enameller's wooden brush handle!

Lotus jugs include a ‘Coral Firs’ Double Handled Lotus jug. This two-handled version variant was created in about 1929 by Clarice Cliff to offer variety in her range. There is also an ‘Oranges & Lemons’ Lotus jug. This design is unusual in that it is one of very few 1929 to 1933 patterns that did not always have banding.

There are several good ‘Blue Firs’ lots including a Bon Jour sugar dredger a Conical coffee set. ‘Blue Firs’ seems to have followed on from the ‘Coral Firs’ colourway in late 1933, early 1934. Coffee and teaware in the full pattern are rare, and the coffeeset also has non-standard blue and green banding.

A colourful Golly Pencil Holder should prove an interesting lot to watch. Clarice adapted the shape 408 ‘Golly’ from her ‘Nursery’ set bookends into a ‘child's pencil holder’. The bookend was adapted, and joined onto the pot using the same methods handles were put onto cups. This variation is not found on the factory shape sheets, and is believed to date from after 1930. There is also a pair of candlesticks shape 658 from the ‘As You Like it ‘ set. They are in ‘Coral Firs’ and were part of the set designed to be a table decoration. The shape was also issued as a single inkwell.

If ‘Blue Crocus’ is a pattern you seek, check the Bon Jour set. The shapes were produced from 1933 onwards, but the design did not appear until 1935 and was only issued briefly so this is a rare set.

A pair of shape 378 Vases for man impressive lot ~ it is unusual to find a PAIR of these The shape 378 ‘single Yo’ vase seems to have been inspired by shapes made by French silversmith's Desny around 1926 to 1928. The 378 was based on a goblet

Perhaps another Star lot will be the ‘Sunray’ Conical Early Morning Set. This tells many stories about how Clarice's designs and shapes evolved, as it appeared in 1929 at a pivotal time in the evolution of her range. Note the original milk jug with four feet which was almost immediately replaced with a simpler more useable shape; the fact that the saucers are not only decorated but painted with the pattern radially is also unusual. The set is original, and the various blue, purple, orange and yellow bands add to its wonderful eccentricity ~ truly Bizarre! (Illustrated p.73 ‘Clarice Cliff the Art of Bizarre’)

	Two stunning ‘Red Autumn’ pieces may see competitive bidding. This stunning colourway of the classic ‘Autumn’ design was outlined by the boy decorators in the ‘Bizarre shop’; Harold Walker and John Shaw did the largest pieces, Tom Stringer and Fred Salmon the smaller. Note how the Isis vase and one handle Lotus jug in this shape have very different outlining for the trees.  < Click Pictures for larger view
	More ‘Appliqué lots include a ‘Lucerne Blue‘ 358 vase, an example of the design from the prototype range from around March 1930. It can be distinguished as the blue/orange banding was only used for a few batches very early on before it was replaced with black/clear, and then black/red/black. A well-painted ‘Appliqué Lucerne Orange‘ 187 vase is also offered. This is a pre Clarice Cliff shape vase shape used during the early thirties for ‘Bizarre’ ware, and has an unusually large central image. (Illustrated p.104 ‘Clarice Cliff the Art of Bizarre) There is also a bowl in the Appliqué Palermo pattern.
An amazing, space-age shape issued in 1931 is the ‘Flower Tubes’ vase shape 465. Technically, it was a very complicated piece to manufacture then as the tubes and flat body were joined together. Christie's are helping Clarice Cliff Collectors Club members to celebrate the club's 20th Anniversary by holding a social and lecture with very special guest speakers, Peter Wentworth Sheilds and Kay Johnson, who are flying in from their home in America. Peter and Kay were the authors of the first book on Clarice Cliff, (the L'Odeon book) and they have not appeared in London since they launched it in 1976.

They worked with Stanley Kubrick on films such as ‘Clockwork Orange’ and ‘2001 Space Odyssey’. But were so distracted by their enthusiasm for Clarice Cliff that they took 6 months off unpaid to write the book, which is in itself now very collectable. This led them to discover some of the ‘Bizarre’ girls, meet the highly respected 30’s Decorative Arts authority Martin Battersby, and they even met Duncan Grant in his studio at Charleston.

Tickets are for Clarice Cliff Collectors Club members and guests only, read more about how you can join on our ‘News’ page.