Cecily and Lynley of Chantilly Antiques relate the
story behind the Clarice Cliff Appliqué Lucerne plaque
that has just set a new world record price

‘We received a phone call last Friday February 23rd from a good friend of ours who has a second hand shop in Bulimba here in Queensland, to say she had just been at the home of a local lady, June, to buy a few bits and pieces and saw on the wall a large Clarice Cliff plate. She immediately thought it was pretty good and told June it could be worth a couple of thousand ($AU!!!!) June thought if it was worth that much perhaps she should sell it or at least remove it from the wall!

Anne checked some literature and started to get the feel it may be worth more than that and contacted us as she felt we were the Brisbane dealers to talk to. She described the plaque to us so we knew straight away it was Appliqué Lucerne!! ... Naturally we were pretty excited.

Anne met us at June's home at 5pm the same day Friday. The plaque had been her parents. Her dad, Frank Sherrin was an artist who exhibited in Australia and was a Trustee of the Queensland Art Gallery. June described her parents as “modest collectors”. She remembers the plaque being on the wall all her life. She doesn't think it was a wedding present to her parents...she thinks they probably bought it themselves in the 30's. But that was never discussed.... they just enjoyed it in the same way they enjoyed "their Australian paintings and their brass candlesticks..." June, as a child, thought Prince Charming might appear from one of the towers in the plaque.... it has always made her happy.
 
 

Knowing its history, Lynley removed the plaque from the wall… very nervously! We were “out of our trees”! We explained to June that we thought that this very rare plaque could be worth a great deal of money, particularly as it was in excellent condition. She agreed to allow us to sell it on her behalf on eBay where we , these days, sell regularly.

We decided to set the reserve at around $AU5,000 so we didn't get her hopes up too much. We suspect she might have been a touch dubious that it could be worth that much! Never in our wildest dreams could we have imagined it to be worth this much.....

We have just witnessed the final price of $US19,100 !

And the story has others twists and turns! A few months ago, while June was away, her home was burgled.... the thieves broke in just near where the plaque was hanging...though they took a lot of things including blue and white china, we're delighted to say Brisbane burglars clearly don't know about Clarice!

Well, the rest is now history... and we feel privileged to be a part of it. Clarice Cliff has been a central part of our business since we first became interested in her in the early 1970s. We have found many wonderful pieces in Brisbane in that time. We sold many to the late Dan Hogg, a marvellous man and devoted Clarice Cliff collector, and most importantly a friend. His death took him from us, BUT we figure Dan's been finding us pieces lately...not long after his death, someone walked into the shop with a House and Bridge plate - his favourite pattern. There are a few more stories with this one being the best.... Dan would have LOVED this plaque, as he had a Lucerne coffee set that was made famous in the sale of his collection at Christie's.

I write this just after the plaque sold… and have just talked with Anne who has talked with June (who doesn't have a computer)... She is sitting down quietly, trying to believe that this is for real! As are we all...

Cecily Critchley and Lynley Jenkins, Chantilly Antiques & Art, Brisbane, Australia.