Antiques and the Arts Book Review


Clarice Cliff & Her Contemporaries:Susie Cooper, Keith Murray, Charlotte Rhead, and the Carlton Designers
By Helen C. Cunningham
Schiffer Publishing Ltd, 4880 Lower Valley Road, Atglen, Pa., 19310, 1999, pp 192, hardcover.

Bold and creative, Clarice Cliff's works and those of her peers certainly can fill a book, and they have. This latest guide zooms in on a few choice artisans but also offers a wide angle look on how their style related and fit into the one of great innovative periods of art. As Cunningham writes, "This book is intended as an introduction to several noteworthy pottery designers and manufacturers whose work establishes the parameters for twentieth-century pottery, beginning with the late 1920s." The author acknowledges there are books already on the market that cover the subject of Art Deco pottery and these particular artisans. She explains in the preface: "I do not intend for this book to compete with those already in print, but rather to complement them." She said she "attacked" the subject from an artistic angle, "hoping to give the reader insight into why designers such as Clarice Cliff, Susie Cooper, Keith Murray, Charlotte Rhead and those at Carlton have had a resurgence in popularity." She also provides art history relating to the period, discussing everything from the Industrial Age explosion of mass manufacturing to the influence of the Japanese, to Dadaism, Impressionism, Art Deco and Art Nouveau periods, Expressionism, Cubism, and even Futurism. There is a chapter on each of the artists mentioned above providing a biography, as well as information on design, forgeries, and specialties. A price guide is included and the book also offers color photographs. In fact, the book provides extensive visual aids, with more than 420 color photographs to help the reader. As she notes in her preface, the photographs and texts work in tandem to explore artistic achievements. "Clarice Cliff," she writes, "wanted her designs to have visible brushstrokes, so it is essential that the reader be provided with detailed photos to understand the intricate patterns." With its large print (including the captions for photographs), Schiffer has produced an easy-to-read guide good for the novice collector as well as the dealer seeking a book to aid in sales. - By Amy D'Orio

Clarice Cliff & Her Contemporaries:Susie Cooper, Keith Murray, Charlotte Rhead, and the Carlton Designers

By Helen C. Cunningham