Clarice Cliff Lily Plate
A delightful hand painted plate designed by Clarice Cliff and made in Staffordshire at the "NEWPORT POTTERY Co. Ltd".
The Newport Pottery was an earthenware manufacturer but was not in Newport Wales but based in the potteries in Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent. It got its name from the fact it was located at Newport Lane, Burslem.
The factory was originally purchased in 1920 by the Shorter family who were also the owners of the adjacent A. J. Wilkinson Ltd’s Royal Staffordshire Pottery.
Clarice Cliff joined the firm of A. J. Wilkinson as an apprentice lithographer in 1916 and rose to be the head designer. She was both a modeller of shapes and a pattern designer.
From 1927 to 1936 she had her studio located at the Newport Pottery which had become the main workshop for design and decoration.
Under her direction they produced a huge array of novel and immediately recognisable shapes and patterns which were colourful, free, innovative, and very quickly gained massive popularity.
They produced an enormous output which was condensed into a relatively short period from the launch of the ‘Bizarre’ range in 1927 to the beginning of the Second World War in 1939.
The mark on this plate dates it to post 1938, but the factory closed when the war started in 1939 so it must have been made within that period.
Two years later in 1941 the Newport Pottery was diverted to war-time purposes and shortly after the war the post 1945 the buildings were demolished.
This example is made in a fine earthenware pottery so it has no translucency.
The lily is hand painted but rather than painted in enamels ontop of the glaze it has been painted under the glaze. This makes the design less vunerable to scratching from knives during use and is a very good design decision for a functional rather than merely decorative object.
Maker's marks:
Printed green mark for Clarice Cliff and Newport Pottery England. This mark dates the plate post 1938 and before 1945
Dimensions:
229mm diameter
Weight:
387g
Age:
86 years
Condition:
Very good condition: No chips cracks or restoration. Minor wear commensurate with its age.
Maker:
Newport Pottery Co. Ltd, Newport Lane, Burslem, Staffordshire Potteries
