Clarice Cliff Pottery

Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg to offer selections from her personal collection ...

News-Antique.com - Aug 17,2011 - DALLAS, TX – Selections from the Personal Collection of Whoopi Goldberg, acclaimed Oscar-winning actress and comedian, will highlight Heritage Auctions’ Sept. 27 Estate Auction, at the company’s Design District annex at 1518 Slocum Street. This will include more than 70 pieces from Whoopi’s cherished collection of pottery, porcelain, art deco and a variety of whimsical pieces she has gathered over the years. While Ms. Goldberg has enjoyed her superstar status as hostess to some of the most interesting minds and unique characters in the world today she has also quietly and intelligently scoured auctions, antique shows and flea markets over the years to assemble her impressive assortment of tableware and accessories. It is an ever-evolving collection, hence Ms. Goldberg’s desire to make some room on her shelves and to offer both fans and collectors an opportunity to add to their own acquisitions a piece whose provenance will always, importantly, be connected to the famous actress. “Whoopi Goldberg, for decades an internationally recognized and admired figure in the world of film, theatre and television, has stepped once more into the spotlight,” said Nick Dawes, Heritage’s Vice President of Special Collections, “but this time in a less widely known, but equally successful role, that of avid collector.” The items range from exquisitely painted English porcelain of the late Georgian period to whimsical kitsch from the Dime Store era. In between these extremes the collection includes several extensive porcelain services suitable for the finest of tables by a wide range of makers including KPM, Coalport and Lennox, Art Deco objects such as a solitaire set by Clarice Cliff and a dynamic group of Roseville pottery, examples that have made for a wonderful addition to the cherished pieces handed down to Ms. Goldberg from her mother, who planted the love of collecting in her daughter.

Clarice Cliff pottery: Colorful creations, many focusing on nature ...

Color, pattern, and form define the 20th-century pottery that sprang from the imagination of British designer Clarice Cliff (1899-1972). The hand-painted motifs shimmer with spring greens, ripe summer reds, golden fall shades, and chilly blues.

Cliff is celebrated for her bold art deco creations. When she named the main design lines "Bizarre" and "Fantasque," she proclaimed her groundbreaking departure from ho-hum pottery.

While some patterns are strictly geometric, the majority of her hand-painted decorations offer stylized glimpses of the natural world.

Castles with triangular turrets perch on hills and balloon-shaped trees wave atop curved trunks. Her fondness for fruit and flowers is reflected in pattern names such as Crocus, Passionfruit, Jonquil, and Honeydew.

Part of the artist's skill was her clever adaption of pattern to form. Profiles for vases and tableware range from rounded undulations to jagged points. One characteristic shape is the highly collectible conical sugar shaker decorated with various motifs.

In June, Kamelot Auctions in Philadelphia sold seven lots of tableware in the Rhodanthe pattern, part of Cliff's Bizarre line. Perfect for late summer, the design features pinwheel-like flowers in yellow and orange.

Place settings, sold for $240 each, featured cups with triangular handles. The pointed sugar shaker brought $300 and the drum-circle teapot $360.

Jeffrey Henkel, Kamelot's well-informed furniture and decorative arts specialist, says, "The pottery fits into many different scenarios. You can have a very modern house or a much more traditional house - her designs really go with anything. The bright colors are fabulous."

He continues, "The question today is, do you buy things from a catalog or do you search out things that are much more individual, things that will make your house more personal?"

"If you are planning a special lunch party and put a few pieces designed by Clarice Cliff on the table, they really pop. People would respond to them.

Clarice Cliff pottery: Colorful creations, many focusing on nature: By Karla Klein Albertson Color, pattern, and...

Clarice Cliff pottery: Colorful creations, many focusing on nature: By Karla Klein Albertson Color, pattern, and...

Clarice Cliff pottery: Colorful creations, many focusing on nature: By Karla Klein Albertson Color, pattern, and...

Clarice Cliff pottery: Colorful creations, many focusing on nature

Clarice Cliff pottery: Colorful creations, many focusing on nature: Cliff is celebrated for her bold art deco cr...

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