Lot Essay
Leonard Griffin and Louis K. and Susan Pear Meisel, 'Clarice Cliff The Bizarre Affair', Thames Hudson, illustrated in a publicity shot on page 31. Amazingly we have found that this is the actual 'Lugano' charger used by Clarice Cliff in a photograph of the range she took in her Newport Pottery studio in Spring 1930 for use in magazine features. The blue and orange banding indicates this to be part of the prototype range, and the hand-painted 'Applique' mark shows Clarice had the pieces outlined by her former boss John Butler. The picture also includes a Lotus vase in the design and her Arab bookends. This is the first recorded charger in 'Lugano', a 10" wall plaque is known (see title page 'Clarice Cliff the Art of Bizarre) but no 13" wall plaque has been seen.
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