Art Deco Ceramics

A time of great design or merely time for a change?

Art Deco ceramics are commonly associated with specific designers such as Clarice Cliffe, Susie Cooper and Charlotte Rhead whose striking designs changed the face of modern pottery. However the term covers a much wider range of pottery styles as well as architecture and fashion. But was it truly a time of great design or merely time for a change? Let us examine the evidence.....

The history of Art Deco

Ravel conical ware by Clarice Cliffe
Photo by Leonard Griffin

Art Deco is said to have begun in France in the 1920s and developed internationally especially in Europe and America until the late 1930's. However it was not until the revival in the 1960s that the term 'Art Deco' was introduced. Until that time it was called 'Arte Moderne' or 'Arte Decoritif'. Since that time many modern potteries have developed patterns based around similar principles.
The advent of Art Deco changed the face of pottery in the UK at the time. The bright colours and geometric shapes of Clarice Cliffe especially, was a long way removed from many of the chinese inspired pottery designs that had gone before. However many shapes and designs were influenced by Mexican and Egyptian styles. A revolution in design was in the making! In the UK the popularity was aided by young new designers and and the advent of advertising and to a degree mechanisation. Designer labels grew as a marketing trend and women designers had phenomenal success. It became a necessity for small potteries to find new designs to beat off the threat of imports from Germany and Czechslovakia and Japan.

Clarice Cliffe

Original Bizarre on Athens Shape
Original Picture by Harvey

Clarice Cliffe, probably the name most associated with Art Deco style, was born in Tunstall, Stoke on Trent in 1899. She joined Royal Staffordshire Pottery aged just 17 and briefly studied art at the Royal College of Art in London. Her skill was such that she rapidly became a top designer of ceramics and was probably the first to design both the shape and decoration of UK commercial tableware. Cliffe produced some of the most exciting designs of the times ware adorned with bright colours such as Original Bizarre.

Crocus pattern
Photograph by  Andy Titcomb

Her success resulted in numerous designs being release in commercial volumes between 1927 and 1939. However it was the more conservative 'Crocus' pattern which was regarded as her signature pattern.
Pieces of Clarice Cliffe are now highly collectable and include such striking designs as the conical ginger sifters. Collecting is made easier by the fact that virtually all Clarice Cliffe pieces are clearly marked with her name using a rubber backstamp or litho.

Susie Cooper

Kestrel pattern
From National Museum Wales

Born in 1902 in Stoke on Trent, she entered the pottery industry at A.E. Gray & Co in 1922 and trained under Gordon Forsyth. Brightly coloured abstract geometrics and cubist patterns were her trademark and she developed some stunning designs such as Kestrel and the cube shape galaxy pattern. By 1929 she had left Gray and started her own pottery painting business and this initiated a long and distinguished design career spanning 60 years. Her designs were highly practical with 'fitness for purpose'being a common theme. A black triangular back-stamp with the words Susie Cooper Productions was used until about 1932. After this time a variety of signatures was used.

Charlotte Read

Tube lined plate by Charlotte Rhead
Photo by Chris Bertram.

Born in 1885 into an artistic family in the potteries town of Burslem, Charlotte Rhead studied art at Fenton School of Art. Working for a local company Wardle and Co she learned the skill of tube lining. It was this skill and the influence of her time at Wood and Sons which set her career apart as a designer. Later in 1926 working for Burgess and Leigh she mainly produced ornamental or luxury pieces using her tube lining skill.

Other Art Deco ware

Shelley Vogue shape cup and saucer, designed by Eric Slater 1930

Harmony Art Ware ginger jar - Eric Slater 1932

The Shelley Family was a highly acclaimed producer of Art bone china in the art deco style. Apart from the elegant 'vogue shape' it produced highly decorative vases such as
'Harmony Artware'. Eric Slater was the designer responsible for many of the hugely successful designs.

The Wedgwood family also produced a range of ware in art Deco style. Using a range of designers such as Keith Murray, Skeaping, Makeig-Jones, and Ravilous they continued to create outstanding designs throughout the 1930's. Makeig-Jones in particular changed the image of Wedgwood ware with her inspirational 'Fairyland Lustre' range of patterns.

The Modern Era

Wedgwood Jasper Conran

Clearly many of the Art Deco designs of early period have inspired post year 2000 patterns. Classic, timeless and elegant, almost all top pottery brands have some element of Art Deco in their range. Wedgwood, Portmeirion, Dudson and Steelite each include high coloured decorative patterns or striking geometric shapes. This is not by accident and I can only conclude that the Art Deco period was truly a time of great design!

I would love to hear your comments?

More information and other technical articles on pottery and ceramics can be found at my website The Potters Friend. Go now to sign up for my free newsletter.

Cheadle's Pugins Gem

One of my favourite places

Once upon a time in a small market town in Staffordshire, England, an amazing church was built by a not so famous architect. The same man also designed the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. St Giles RC church, because of its beauty and spectacular gothic architecture, became known as Pugin's Gem and has featured on both the BBC and Channel 4  in recent years.

That man was Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, and he is now regarded as being responsible for the revival of Gothic architecture in the UK in the nineteenth century. In a recent BBC documentary, his influence on architecture was likened to that of Darwins influence on science.

2012, was the Bicentennial of the birth of Pugin and it was celebrated in style in Cheadle, a relatively unknown town that sits on the edge of the beautiful Staffordshire Peak District. A series of events,workshops, tours and exhibitions were staged throughout the year based around the church, the nearby Pugin Centre,and other local Pugin buildings. The legacy is the Pugin discovery and heritage centre which is sited at the centre of the High St.

The church itself is open to visitors most days and really should not be missed. Put a coin in the slot, sit back and be amazed as the church  is revealed in all its splendour. You will not be disappointed. To appreciate the church in full obtain an audio guide first from the Pugin Centre and allow it to guide you around the features of the church.

If you are travelling close to Staffordshire Peak District this year why not spend a little of your precious time to visit the not to be forgotten Pugin's Gem. There's also a chance to discover more of the Secrets of Cheadle, which lies only a few miles from Alton Towers resort and the scenic Churnet valley with its Steam railway and excellent country walks.

To find out more about Cheadle and how to get there why not visit the Cheadle,Staffordshire website Cheadle Staffordshire