Welcome to our
Autumn 2002
Clarice
Cliff Collectors Club
INTERNET
NEWSLETTER
www.claricecliff.com
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Convention
2002 !
This
Newsletter appears just after we celebrated our anniversary event! Members
from as far away as Australia attended, Michael Jeffrey from Christie's,
and Joy McCall and Johanna Friedwall from Bonham's. ‘Bizarre’ girl Rene
Dale sold the last of the ware she and Jim Hall produced, and Terry Abbott’s
new film was enthustically received. From Australia, Greg Slater presented
a special Wilkinson’s lecture.
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We
also had a massive Anniversary Tombola ~ everyone had the chance of a free
gift or bargain, of material from the last 20 years!
We
even had a few of the original Clarice Cliff woollies from ‘Art Deco Knits
based on the designs of Clarice Cliff’ from 1990, all with the original
Melinda Coss label!
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NEW
club badge 2002
This New badge
is being mailed out to orders from existing members during this Month,
and then will be offered on our Age of Jazz store. We are delighted
with it; just 35mm in size, it captures all the detail of the 1932 House
& Bridge pattern in a way we have not been able to do before with
these real metal and enamel fired badges ~ a miniature masterpiece.
Wedgwood
Our
new Clarice Cliff Collectors Club 2002 pieces are to be launched
this Autumn. The star item is undoubtedly our Age of Jazz
shape 432 dancing couple in blue....
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This colourway is not
known from any original examples, and it will look stunning displayed with
any blue-dominated original pieces or reproductions. There are just 200
of these so demand will be high.
Also to be launched at the same time
is our stunning, yellow/blue colourway of the Grotesque mask; we'll
keep you waiting to see this when it's launched!
Remember, our third piece for 2002
is one we created with Wedgwood in their printed/painted finish,
there are just 100 of the Bizooka in green. They are our fastest
selling item at present.
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For
those of you who like to know what is still available, note that
the following are now sold out: Lido Lady orange, Blue
Firs Yo Yo vase, Honolulu 464 vase, Blue Firs
plaque. As regards the printed/painted Wedgwood pieces we carry
the major items of these in our store, but in December Wedgwood are
retiring the Bon Jour teasets in Blue Crocus
and Blue Firs, the 12” charger in Summerhouse and 461 vase
in Red Roofs: to be sure to get these please order as soon
as possible.
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New additions
to our Age of Jazz store will soon include this wonderful
set!
It's a Bon Jour set in Bridgewater,
a gloriously colourful 1934 pattern. It will be added soon. We also hope
to be offering a piece of which there is NO known example, a shape 439
Tulips
and Fern.
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 Bonham’s
July 3rd sale
This
was the first sale staged since Bonham’s merged fully with Philips late
last year. Both Joy McCall of Bonham’s and Johanna Friedwall (who was at
Philips) now work on the Decorative Arts sales. Perhaps their combined
expertise and contacts was what made this the best sale Bonham’s have held
for quite some time?
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The
star lots were of course the vases in Fantasque Green House,
the stunning shape 370 sold for £13,000, and the two 358 vases sold
for £6000 and £4000. But there were plenty of other highlights
amongst the 160 lots. The small but beautiful Kew Conical bowl was
£1000, and the May Avenue bowl made £1800. The
massive 18 inch Latona Red Roses 366 seemed a bargain
for £3800 ~ these larger pieces are very under-valued at present
and “a good buy!” A pair of Idyll vases made a respectable £3500,
and an Original Bizarre shape 342 vase made a significant £1050.
Lotus
jug prices continue to be in a lull, which gave some collectors the chance
for real bargains, a Berries for £1400, a Solitude
for £2700, and a Forest Glen for just £1100. Bowl prices
were low, but an Orange House example made a significant
£600 and a Trees and House was snapped up for
just £180! An extensive Crocus tea set was a ©
at just £800, whilst a Delecia Pansy Conical coffee
set made a respectable £2000. Despite restoration a Stamford
teapot in Melon made £800 whilst a perfect
Bon Jour
teapot in Taormina was just £480. A Sungleam Crocus
coffee set with Bon Jour pot and Daffodil shape cups
seemed a good buy at £1700 ~ in contrast a humble Beehive
honeypot in Coral Firs was £700; prices for smaller
pieces remain strong. A Crocus preserve pot of Daffodil shape
was £350. Sugar dredger prices also remained strong; a Bon Jour
in Bridgewater was £1050, a Mountain £1900, and
an Orange Roof Cottage seemed a ©
at £1000. Results were erratic in biscuit barrels, some lots not
selling; a Crocus shape 335 was just £150, an Orange House
£700 whilst a Secrets was £300. A pair of Poplar
331 candlesticks were £600.
Afterwards,
Joy and Johanna commented ‘the sale was more modest than last Decembers,
but ended with a good sale rate, 81% by item, 89% by value. Our next sale
is scheduled for December 12th and we already have some fantastic
pieces on the way!’
(All prices are Hammer,
add 17.5% buyers premium + vat)
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Chetwynd
Roses~ members
recently visiting Chetwynd House on our Convention tour…..
had a treat in store ~ Professor Flavia Swann had propagated several of
the original plants so Members were able to buy a variety from Clarice’s
Garden from the 1950’s; these included the unusual pink rose from the archway
Clarice is seated under in Fantastic Flowers
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Clarice
Cliff Collectors Club Membership
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This
is renewal time for existing club members, but having held membership
at £35 for SIX years, we had to decide what to do at this stage.
The cost of printing the colour Review has risen, as have postage
and other expenses. At the same time we feel the topicality of the Newsletters
is more important than the incredible amount of effort and time
needed to produce the Reviews. So, rather than raise the membership
substantially,
to keep things as they are now we have decided to issue just two Reviews
each year (Spring / Summer in March, Autumn/Winter in October) These will
each have four extra pages. Also, there will be more Newsletters
reflecting topical events. Rather than raising subscriptions, this will
enable us to keep up the high standards for the
Review, be more
topical, and maintain membership levels ~ essential to cover our costs.
We
believe the club remains amazingly good value, its strength
is the members, there is NO other club like it, and the Review MUST
be the smallest circulation colour magazine printed?!
IF
YOU WOULD LIKE TO ENROLL PLEASE CLICK HERE
Alice
at Wedgwood: Friday &
Saturday August 16/17th saw Alice with Wedgwood for another Clarice
promotion, this time at their £4.5 million visitor centre at Barlaston.
In 2001 she appeared 15 times at retailers in England, Scotland and Wales.
Now,
after a break she went to a Clarice event, which also included new Bizarre‘girl’
Liz Shaw demonstrating hand-painting, watched by a mix of devotees and
a mass of Japanese visitors. Alice was presented with the new Tulips
and Fern 439 reproduction piece as a ‘thank you’. Her appearance was
featured in the Evening Sentinel in Stoke.
Poor
Mollie Browne had a successful hip replacement operation and has now fallen
~ please get well soon!
Clarice
Cliff FAKES!
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A
major London collector who has been a member of the CCCC for 15 years was
surprised to find himself ‘caught out’ by a piece of fake Clarice Cliff
recently. He was concerned as he realised that if it fooled him it could
easily fool others.
The
fakes are 12 inch Lotus shape jugs in Original Bizarre . Both the vase
and decoration both are contemporary, and intentionally made to deceive.
The
‘weight‘ is right but the handle has a ‘blow hole’ at the bottom, a sign
it is hollow cast, whereas Clarice’s handles were solid. The quality of
honeyglaze is not quite right, but the colours are. These are orange and
blue banding with triangles in brown, blue, yellow, and orange. The outlining
on this example was in green.
This
piece was bought early one wet morning on Bermondsey Market in London,
but the source of these fakes is believed to be Ireland. The collector
further knows of a dealer in Hungerford who had brought one for £350.
As it is marked Bizarre by Clarice Clarice it is illegal to re-sell the
pieces.
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Clarice
Cliff Collectors Club fine detail note: the fake jug is also ribbed,
the original version of this shape had a smoother surface, so Lotus jugs
in Original Bizarre (which is nearly all from 1927 to 1929) should nearly
always be on the smooth surface jugs. Also, be suspicious of any Original
Bizarre Lotus being offered for less than £700.
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The
AOJ store now has the Bizooka offer CLICK
HERE FOR DETAILS, but quantities are limited both in the store
and from the club as this has proved tremendously popular A
further special offer will be made this Autumn ~ a pair of the
Grotesque
masks, one in each colourway.
Andrew
Hutton ~ Webmaster
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Clarice
Cliff Collectors Club: the
next Postal mail out is the September/October Newsletter, which includes
a preview of Christie’s sale (On-Line
version AVAILABLE HERE), a Convention report and other news
from the Clarice Cliff world ! Or, briefer details will be here on claricecliff.com
Clarice Cliff®, Bizarre™, Fantasque™ and Bizooka™
are registered trademarks of Josiah Wedgwood and are
used with permission
Leonard Griffin® is a registered trademark of
the Clarice Cliff Collectors Club
Age of Jazz® is a registered trademark of
the Age of Jazz Ceramic Circle
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