'Bizarre' Find
16th October 2023
A pottery ornament, dug up in an Essex garden, sold or £8,820 when it came under the hammer this week.
The Age of Jazz figure (lot 160) was designed by Staffordshire potter, Clarice Cliff, around 1930 and embodies the strong colours and dynamic forms of the Art Deco movement.
This particular example was found by the vendor when clearing a relative’s house, broken in half and covered in soil. They believe the relative excavated the figure from the garden but it isn’t known how it got there.
“Pottery sherds and clay pipe stems are fairly common finds in old gardens, but they tend to be kitchen plates and pieces with no value,” said Design specialist Michael Jeffery of Woolley and Wallis. “This would have been a costly piece when it was made, so it is strange that someone has discarded it in this manner.”
Clarice Cliff was an iconic designer in Stoke-on-Trent, whose flamboyant Bizarre ware range for Newport Pottery captured the attention of buyers during the financial depression. Her name, inscribed on the base of the figure, caught the owner’s attention.
“I watch a lot of antiques shows, like Flog It, and the name Clarice Cliff rang a bell. I did some searching online and realised how valuable it could be when finding similar items auctioned in the past. When Woolley and Wallis gave us the estimate I was still very pleasantly surprised!”
The figure, which had been broken through the waist, was professionally restored before being consigned to auction in Salisbury. It carried a pre-sale estimate of £3,000-5,000 as part of the Design auction at Woolley and Wallis on 18th and 19th October, but flew beyond that to sell for £8,820.
