Clarice Cliff Feature Articles
Small is definitely beautiful - and expensive!
Salesman Sample vases
| During the early part of the 1930s, Clarice Cliff's salesmen travelled the length and breadth of the United Kingdom in their pursuit of new customers and improved sales. As the 1930's was a time of great hardship for much of British Industry (known as the 'Depression' years), this was a difficult and extremely challenging job.
They were often painted to sample quality (a very high standard) |
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| Because these vases are only about 3 Inches (7.5cm) high, they were ideal for each salesman to carry around in a small suitcase or bag and enabled them to demonstrate a number of patterns to their customers. | |||
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From what we know, it appears that many of these vases were either given away or sold to customers once they were no longer useful to the salesman. Some may also have been given to customers as a kind of 'sweetener' to persuade them to make a bigger purchase. It is also known that some of these vases were used as 'fillers' and included to bulk-out large orders or shipments. | |||
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| Most of these vases do carry a full Bizarre, Fantasque, Appliqué or similar backstamp, which is either stamped or hand-painted onto the base. Some unmarked examples are also known. It was important for these pieces to reflect the finished product which the customers would receive, so they are usually accurate in every detail. | |||
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| As these vases were produced in relatively small quantities, they are a rare and desirable piece for today's Clarice Cliff collector. They don't often appear at auction, but when they do, are quickly snapped up by keen collectors or dealers. For anyone wanting to build a 'Mini' Clarice portfolio, with pieces such as these vases and the miniature Advertising plaques, they really are a must-have item! On the other hand, it is also just still possible to buy one of these from an auction where the auctioneer does not realise what they are, and simply catalogues the item as a 'Small Clarice Cliff vase'. If you are lucky, the other buyers won't realise either and you may be able to buy one for a very good price. I did just that recently when I was able to buy a pair of miniature vases in 'Pastel Melon' from an auction for less than £400! In general, they sell for anything between £600 and £1,000 each, with some of the rarer patterns realising significantly higher prices. Crocus and Gayday, etc. tend to be lower priced. The Appliqué Lucerne example, pictured at the top of this page, sold for £2,100 (plus commission) at UK Auctioneers Woolley & Wallis in Salisbury. On balance, they are an expensive way to collect Clarice Cliff pottery when you compare the amount of actual vase you get for your money, but an extremely cool and increasingly desirable way to do it...... Many thanks to Michael Jeffery from Woolley & Wallis foir supplying the Applique Lucerne photograph.
ANDREW HUTTON Edited by Doreen Mann | |||
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