After Clarice Cliff (1899-1972) English, Reproduction "Bizarre" Art Pottery Lotus Jug. One of her classic, bright, geometric designs. Labeled on the base "Hand Painted Bizarre by Clarice Cliff Newport Pottery England." No date or other identifying numbers/marks, and a small sticker attached to base that reads "REPRO," indicating it is likely not an original. 

Condition: Good. 

Size: 8 1/4 x 6 x 12 in. 

Clarice Cliff was born on January 20th, 1899 in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, England. Her father worked at an iron foundry, and throughout her childhood Cliff would visit her aunt after school, watching her hand-paint pottery pieces and picking up the techniques. She made papier-mâché models at school for a local pottery company, and at age 13 she began working there as a gilder. She learned freehand painting at another potbank, and in 1916 she relocated to Newport, Burslem to find new career opportunities. She studied art and sculpture at the Burslem School of Art and worked at the factory of A.J. Wilkinson. Most of the young women in the Staffordshire Potteries continued working all their lives in the area of expertise they had first mastered, but Cliff rejected this traditional path and was constantly exploring and acquired new skills, including outlining, enameling, banding, and modeling figurines and vases. In the early 1920s decorating manager Jack Walker brought Cliff to the attention of one of the factory owners, Arthur Shorter, who gave her a dedicated space to explore her own ceramics ideas. Cliff developed her skills further by studying at the Royal College of Art and frequently visiting Paris to gain inspiration. In 1924 Cliff was given a second apprenticeship, working alongside John Butler and Fred Ridgway. While they produced more conservative, Victorian-style wares, Cliff wanted to explore Art Nouveau and what would eventually be known as Art Deco designs, and in 1927 she was given a studio at the adjoining Newport Pottery, which Shorter had bought some years earlier. Her competitors gave her their defective glost ware, but she covered the imperfections in simple patterns of triangles, in an extremely popular style that she called “Bizarre.” From 1929 onward the shapes took on a more modern influence, often angular and geometric with abstract and cubist patterns. In 1930 a separate decorating shop was established underneath the top floor of the building which housed the “Bizarre” shop, and Cliff was appointed as art director of both Newport Pottery and A. J. Wilkinson. By the end of the 30s over 70 painters worked in the decoration department, nearly all of them women, particularly focused on the high-selling Crocus brand. After the death of Shorter’s wife in 1939 he and Cliff married the following year, and her designs and marketing techniques allowed the company to expand during World War II, eventually selling well in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. In the post-War era her earlier success received national attention, and helped pave the way for more women to run businesses and own their own companies in England. However, she retired in 1963 after the death of Shorter, although her designs continued to be made by Midwinter Pottery after they bought out the factory the following year. She became a recluse, living out her final days in total seclusion at Shorter’s mansion Chetwynd House, and died there on October 23rd, 1972. Numerous retrospective exhibitions and awards have been bestowed upon her, with the Clarice Cliff Collectors Club forming in 1982 to promote her and her work around the world. A long series of mergers finally led to Wedgwood owning the Clarice Cliff name, and from 1992 to 2002 they produced a range of reproductions of her 1930s pieces. Today, her rarer pieces are highly sought at auction, and often sell for tens of thousands of dollars.

Good.