Clarice Cliff Feature Articles

Claricecliff.com Editor Doreen Mann interviewed Fieldings auctioneer Will Farmer about his thoughts on THE sale of the decade……….. 

Q1.   Were you nervous about the sale beforehand?

Of course, its always a nervous time as you invest so much time let alone money into making the event work. Obviously with this sale there was a greater level of financial exposure owing to the two trips to New York. While I had every confidence in the collection and what we were to offer it was still a nerve-racking time.....was it going to be well received...were my assessments and estimates of the collection correct? 

Q2.   Only 12* out of 211 lots remain unsold, subject to future discussion, what is the breakdown of sold items?

Landscapes:  93%      

Geom:    97%

Fruit & Floral:    89%

Fun:    100%

Q3.   In your professional opinion, which was the “top” item and how much did you expect it to realise?

Personally for me the top item was the Butterfly stepped vase! It just had everything - shape, pattern, condition! Had I been able I would have dearly loved to own that piece within my own collection. Looking at the sale from a different angle the Windflowers charger was of course also a stand alone item! Rare, beautiful and a real show stopper!!!

Q4.   By the morning of the sale how were you judging this sale?

In the run up to the actual sale the level of interest was incredibly high! I had spoken to clients I’d not been in contact with for years! This sale brought collectors old and new out of the woodwork. The interesting thing for me was observing the levels of interest in the sale! Certain pieces were obviously asked for by numerous interested clients so that was no great surprise...what did shock me were the pieces that seemed to have fallen off radar! There were items which were, in my opinion, beautiful, perfect and rare which no one had enquired about....that however changed upon opening the doors for the viewing.

Q5.   Did you have any impression of ‘new or returning’ members in the saleroom or on the books?

Without doubt....as mentioned previously there were clients whom I have known personally for many years through being involved with Clarice. I have to say however that many of them have never made contact with the saleroom until now!

Q6.   Were would-be buyers concerned about internet bidding pushing up the prices?

The internet has been much discussed. As many will know we have held off adopting the internet for our sales. However in recent months we have noticed that we had to consider and move the business forward. The internet has become an incredibly important device for auctions and we felt that we were getting left behind by the competition.

Being able to offer the facility has become an important marketing tool when speaking with clients and it goes without saying that it was a very interesting and attractive element to winning the collection from New York.

Obviously many of our clients have liked the fact that we weren’t online; however, sadly we had to move with the times and embrace the new technology.

Q7.   Did it actually push up prices?  

The internet played an important role in Saturdays sale. We had over 400 bidders register to bid live online and while we don’t know what their intended lots are it showed strongly in the Clarice Cliff section.

There was strong and fervent bidding online particularly from Australia where we know there is a strong and solid collector base for Clarice.

Q8.   Did internet bidding raise the percentage/level of actual sales?

Its difficult to tell in all honesty. Previously those buyers would have executed their bids either on the telephone or via commission bids. I have to say that since adopting the internet our commission bids have dramatically dropped. That’s not to say we are losing clients...they have just changed the way they chose to bid! 

The upside of live bidding is that if a client loses out on a lot that can roll over onto a different one. With commission bidding their fate is in our hands.

Q9.   Why did Fieldings Auctioneers Ltd. decide to undertake internet bidding having previously been opposed to it?

To add to the above it’s worth noting that selling clients are becoming very aware of new technology and we found that we were possibly in the position of losing selling clients if we didn’t offer live bidding. As such it seemed the natural step to progress the business in this direction.

Q10.  Were there many commission bids?

We still held some strong commission bids on the books from long standing clients who trust us and rely on our expertise to execute their actions in their absence. 

Q11.  Was there much overseas bidding and from which countries?

Interest was wide and varied……. however looking at the sale the greater interest was of course UK based, closely followed by Australia, then America and finally South Africa.

Q12.  All but one of the chargers sold - why was the Inspiration one not so appealing to buyers do you think?

Its a shame that charger didn’t sell on the day however it has since sold via an after-sale. The comments were that the charger was a little weak in terms of execution and as such some felt the pre-sale estimate was a little punchy. Also it may well be that the choice was too wide for people to decide and they opted for stronger examples.

Q13.  Is it a good idea to have several of the same shaped objects in the same sale, e.g.  Globe vases?

I have no issues with multiples in a sale! In my opinion no-one would comment on multiple lotus jugs, flat ware or similar so the fact that we did have numerous globes and chargers only offered up a wider selection. Furthermore its worth noting that the variety of patterns meant that there was something for everyone. As well we know, buyers often collect by genre, part of the reason I developed the ‘new’ selling format of landscapes, geometrics, florals and fun!

This new style of presenting lots is very different from the Christies days who used to sell often by shape! I think this format works much better as it seems to fit the collecting habits of modern buyers far better.

Q14.  Globes seem to be very popular with collectors….why?

The globe is such a simple and stunning shape. Perfectly executed and super stylish! Also it holds patterns so well and seems to hit the perfect note with collectors.

Q15.  What has this sale told you about patterns?

In the current market Geometrics still seem to be the most hotly contested collecting field. It’s interesting as for years I have seen trends in Clarice. For me, personally, it’s landscapes....I just love Clarice’s whimsical way of presenting a scene....that will never change. Its just fashion and taste but who am I to say what is right and what is wrong....buy what you like!

Q16.  What has it told you about shapes?

Rare striking shapes will always draw the crowds....fins, steps, spheres....well they just seem to get everyone’s hearts fluttering....who can blame them!  I love a lotus....big, bold and showing all the pattern to the utmost degree!!

Q17.  Was it very brave or very stupid to put on a (predominantly) American collection of Clarice Cliff in Britain?  Would you do it again?

I think it was brave on their part! For me it made complete and utter sense. The strongest buyers are here in the UK....where the pieces were made! Furthermore I feel that had this collection been offered in the USA many of the successful buyers on Saturday would possibly have not ventured into the mine-field of overseas buying...the condition reports, the packing, shipping, import duty!

One thing that helped everyone was that the client decided early on to cover all the costs of shipping and duty meaning that buyers could buy without any hidden add-ons!

As for would I do it again....ABSOLUTELY!! Who wouldn’t want to travel the world sourcing wonderful collections like this one! So take heed all you overseas collectors....if you’d like me to consult on the sale of your collections....well I’m only a plane ticket away!

Q18.  What, in your opinion, was unique about this sale?

I think this sale was all about ‘fresh to market’. As I’ve said over and over this was never going to be a ‘Sevi’ sale...this was something altogether different....a wide and wonderful selection of items with a massive range of pieces meaning there was literally something for everyone.

Q19.  Will we see another sale like this in the near future?

Who knows....the auction world is a constant surprise! You spend your whole working career wondering where the next batch of items will come from. Most of the time, it just happens but it’s something that is always in the back of your mind!

I hope that we will be fortunate enough to handle a collection like this in the future. My hope is that having secured, presented and sold this one we have shown the Clarice world that we are capable of looking after significant collections and offering a unique level of service.

Q20.  What are your feelings about the sale - as an auctioneer and as a collector?

I thought the sale was fantastic, a great success. I am very, very pleased with the results right across the board.  Virtually all the items performed really well versus estimates.  It was wonderful to see the levels of interest and receive all the feedback from clients from around the world. The buzz leading up to the sale was also wonderful from the buzz and chatter of preview days to the intense concentrated silence of sale day as every one waited in anticipation of their lot coming up for sale.

Q21.  What does Fieldings Auctioneers have to do to acquire similar level long-term collections?

I think we have to just keep doing what we do. I sincerely hope that Clarice collectors around the world can see my love and passion for these wonderful pots. I put my heart and soul into these sales and they mean a great deal to me. I think I offer something very unique in that my work and interests knit together providing an extra level of detail and service for Clarice collectors.

Q22.  With fond memories of Christies notably and less frequent Bonhams auctions in the past, will Fieldings become “the second home” for Clarice Cliff collections in the future?

I would love to think that we are already considered that! I guess only time will tell!

Doreen Mann

* As at 30th October 2014