Flaming June
1st June 2025-
A unique ‘Flambe Carp’ James Macintyre & Company vase by William Moorcroft (1872-1945) set new auction record for a Moorcroft vase, selling at Woolley and Wallis for £31,500 (with fees)
A world record holding, unique ‘Flambe Carp’ James Macintyre & Company vase by William Moorcroft (1872-1945) returned for sale in the Fine Arts and Crafts auction on 18th June 2025. Prior to the sale, an auction record for a Moorcroft vase was set by Woolley and Wallis in 2012 when the same object was sold by specialist Michael Jeffery for £26,840 (with fees), having been consigned from the Ken Manley collection and it has smashed records once again.
William Moorcroft was first employed as a designer at art pottery manufacturer James Macintyre & Company after acquiring his Art Master’s Certificate at the Royal College of Art in South Kensington. An admirer of William Morris, when Moorcroft arrived at the Macintyre factory in 1897 he was equipped with both firm ideas about design and decoration and the technical skill required for their execution. Within the first nine months of his appointment, Moorcroft had premiered his ground breaking Florian Ware collection at the World's Fair in Paris. His designs became an instant sensation and were purchased strongly from the outset by retailers Harrods, Liberty of London, Rouard of Paris and Tiffany & Co. in New York.
In early 1898 Moorcroft was promoted to become Manager of Ornamental Ware at Macintyre’s and provided with his own workrooms, staff of decorators and access to the factory’s commercial kilns. Inspired by the continental Art Nouveau movement, Moorcroft set about developing a new range of decorative ware using raised outlines for organic forms created in slip clay, known as tube lining, which were then filled with coloured enamel. Moorcroft’s early diaries reveal his belief in the principle that ornament should be used to emphasise organic form and never for its own sake.
Although still successful, in 1912 Macintyre’s decided to discontinue their Art Pottery department due its relatively high operating costs. So, in 1913, with funding from Liberty, William Moorcroft established his own pottery studio at Sandbach Road, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent where it continuously produced high quality, decorative wares for over 100 years.
The Moorcroft factory temporarily closed in May 2025 citing rising energy costs and reduced global demand before being rescued by the founder's grandson, however, early works by William Moorcroft continue to perform strongly at auction.
20th Century Design specialist, Michael Jeffery, who handled the record-setting 2012 sale said: “It's rare that a piece of such beauty, provenance and historical resonance comes to market at such a critical cultural moment. This record-breaking vase is a shining example of Moorcroft’s artistic genius and has even greater significance in light of the factory’s recent closure, which is expected to drive both rarity and demand for his works – in particular the early pieces.”
Lot 233, ‘Flambe Carp’ once again broke the record for a price realised for a Moorcroft vase when it sold for £31,500 (including fees) on 18th June 2025. Lot 234, a similar ‘Carp’ vase, also from the Ken Manley collection, in a blue and green colour-way sold for £25,200 (with fees). Both vases were consigned from the John McGhie collection and featured on the cover of the 18th June Fine Arts and Crafts sale catalogue.
