Celebrating 20 Years of Clarice Cliff at Fieldings

Fieldings announces the largest standalone Clarice Cliff auction in over 25 years

 

Fieldings Auctioneers, the global market leader in the sale of works by Clarice Cliff, is celebrating 20 years at the forefront of the Clarice Cliff market with an exceptional standalone auction of more than 500 lots on Thursday 15th October.

 

Bringing together Clarice Cliff pottery from important private collections in the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand, the sale represents a landmark moment for collectors of one of the most important British designers of the 20th century.

The auction showcases the extraordinary breadth of Clarice Cliff’s work, with estimates ranging from approximately £30 to £5,000, offering opportunities for both established collectors and those discovering Clarice Cliff for the first time.

The sale will be preceded by a special evening at Fieldings on Wednesday 14th October, beginning with a drinks reception at 6pm, followed at 6.30pm by a talk from renowned Clarice Cliff expert and Fieldings Auctioneers Director Will Farmer.

The event is open to all and offers collectors the opportunity to hear directly from one of the leading authorities on Clarice Cliff ahead of one of the most significant Clarice Cliff auctions for a generation.

 

A return to the golden age of Clarice Cliff collecting

 

There is a fascinating history behind the current resurgence of interest in Clarice Cliff.

Christie’s held its first dedicated Clarice Cliff auction in 1983, an important moment that helped establish her as a serious area of collecting within the wider world of 20th-century decorative arts.

The emergence of dedicated auctions helped fuel extraordinary growth in the market throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Dedicated sales continued for around two decades, alongside a rapidly expanding community of collectors and increasing recognition of Cliff’s importance as a designer.

The late 1990s represented the height of this collecting boom, building towards the celebrations surrounding the 1999 centenary of Clarice Cliff’s birth. Christie’s Centenary auction in 1999 was a major event, with surviving catalogue records documenting hundreds of lots, while more than 600 pieces were brought together for a major Clarice Cliff exhibition at the Wedgwood Museum in Stoke-on-Trent.

 

 From Christie’s to Fieldings

 

The history of Clarice Cliff collecting is inseparable from the collectors themselves.

The Clarice Cliff Collectors Club, founded in 1982, played an important role in bringing enthusiasts together, sharing knowledge and encouraging a new generation of collectors. The club’s own history records the profound impact of early publications on the Clarice Cliff market and the subsequent relationship between collectors, exhibitions and Christie’s dedicated sales.

Following the Christie’s era, the official collectors’ auctions moved to Fieldings in 2008.

Over the following 18 years, Fieldings has worked to build, develop and regenerate the Clarice Cliff market, helping to re-establish her work among the most important British designs of the 20th century.

Today, Fieldings is the global market leader in the sale of works by Clarice Cliff, with its specialist expertise, international network of collectors and long-standing involvement in the market placing the auction house at the centre of Clarice Cliff collecting.

The philosophy has always been straightforward: Clarice Cliff collecting should be accessible.

Fieldings has encouraged collectors to participate in the market rather than making it an elitist pursuit. Whether someone is looking for an inexpensive piece to begin a collection, searching for a particular pattern or shape, or looking to sell an important private collection, the aim has been to provide an accessible specialist market for everyone.

This approach has helped Fieldings develop a global community of Clarice Cliff buyers and sellers.

 

The 2026 Clarice Cliff auction: a landmark sale

 

This year’s sale marks a significant return to the scale and excitement of the great Clarice Cliff auctions of the 1990s.

With more than 500 lots, it is set to be the largest standalone auction dedicated to Clarice Cliff’s work for more than 25 years. Consignments from the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the United States reflect the truly international nature of the collecting market.

Among the highlights is a significant American collection of more than 130 pieces, many of which have not been on the open market for approximately 40 years.

For collectors, this creates an unusual opportunity to acquire pieces that have remained in established private collections for decades.

Estimates ranging from around £30 to approximately £5,000 also reflect Fieldings’ commitment to making Clarice Cliff collecting accessible, with opportunities across a wide range of collecting levels.

  

Clarice Cliff collecting is becoming global

 

Although the UK remains at the heart of the Clarice Cliff collecting market, interest is now firmly international.

Australia represents one of the strongest collecting markets outside Britain, closely followed by the United States, while Clarice Cliff’s work has also found collectors much further afield. Historically, markets such as South Africa played an important role in the export and distribution of Clarice Cliff pottery.

This international interest reflects something fundamental about Cliff’s work: her designs remain immediately recognisable, colourful and modern more than 90 years after they were first produced.

Historic England describes Cliff as one of the most recognised ceramic designers of the 20th century, noting that her colourful designs transformed homeware and that her work is now highly sought after by collectors worldwide.

 

Why has Clarice Cliff become so popular again?

 

There are several factors behind the renewed interest in Clarice Cliff.

There has been a wider reassessment of the achievements of women working in British industry and design during the early 20th century. Cliff’s story is particularly compelling: a working-class girl from Stoke-on-Trent who rose to become a highly successful designer and factory art director at a time when opportunities for women in industry were severely restricted.

The approach to the centenary of Clarice Cliff’s birth in 1999 also created enormous interest in her work and helped introduce her to a new generation of collectors.

Then there is the enduring appeal of the work itself.

In 1927, Clarice Cliff launched Bizarre, introducing the bold colours, geometric forms and energetic patterns that would become synonymous with her name. Her designs were modern, affordable and intended to bring colour and individuality into everyday life. Historic England notes that the Bizarre range was quickly successful and that Cliff’s designs captured the changing mood of the period.

More recently, the 2021 film The Colour Room, starring Phoebe Dynevor as Clarice Cliff, brought her story to an entirely new audience. Historic England also highlighted the film’s role in bringing the story of Cliff and the Potteries to a wider public.

In 2024, Cliff was further recognised when Historic England unveiled an official blue plaque at her former home at 20 Snow Hill in Stoke-on-Trent.

Together, these developments have contributed to continued interest from both experienced collectors and a new generation discovering Clarice Cliff for the first time.

 

Will Farmer and the Clarice Cliff revival

 

Few people have been more closely associated with the modern revival of interest in Clarice Cliff than Will Farmer.

As a renowned Clarice Cliff expert and Director of Fieldings Auctioneers, Will has spent decades researching, collecting, writing and lecturing on Cliff and her work.

His involvement extends well beyond the auction room. Will was a consultant on The Colour Room, helping bring the story of Clarice Cliff to the screen. He has lectured internationally, authored books on her work and is himself a passionate collector.

He is also closely involved with the Clarice Cliff Collectors Club, continuing its tradition of bringing collectors together and sharing knowledge about Cliff’s designs, patterns, shapes and history.

His involvement in Clarice Cliff’s legacy also includes the unveiling of the official Historic England blue plaque at 20 Snow Hill, commemorating Cliff at the Stoke-on-Trent home where she lived at the height of her success.

For Fieldings, this expertise is not simply academic. It comes from decades of handling, researching, collecting and selling Clarice Cliff.

 

Clarice Cliff for everyone

 

One of the defining characteristics of Fieldings’ approach to Clarice Cliff has been accessibility.

The market is not reserved for those able to spend thousands of pounds on a single piece. A collector can start with a small piece of Clarice Cliff pottery for a relatively modest sum, gradually developing their knowledge and collection over time. At the other end of the market, exceptional chargers, rare patterns, unusual shapes and important collections can command substantial prices.

This year’s auction reflects that full spectrum, with estimates from £30 to £5,000 and opportunities to discover Clarice Cliff pottery at many different levels.

It also provides an opportunity for existing collectors who may be considering selling.

 

Thinking of selling Clarice Cliff?

 

The renewed strength of the market means that owners of Clarice Cliff pottery may have pieces of considerable interest to today’s collectors.

Fieldings regularly hears from people who have inherited Clarice Cliff, built collections over many years or have pieces that have been stored away for decades. The October sale demonstrates the breadth of the market, with consignments from across the world, including an important American collection that has remained largely untouched by the market for around four decades.

For anyone considering selling Clarice Cliff pottery, specialist knowledge can make an important difference. Identifying the pattern, shape, rarity, condition and provenance of a piece is essential when establishing an appropriate estimate and presenting it to the right collecting audience.

Fieldings’ long-standing specialist knowledge of Clarice Cliff means that consignors can benefit from a team that understands both individual pieces and the wider international collecting market.

If you have Clarice Cliff pottery that you are considering selling, Fieldings would be delighted to hear from you.

 

A market built on knowledge and collectors

 

The story of Clarice Cliff at auction is ultimately a story about collectors.

From the first dedicated sales in the 1980s, through the collecting boom of the 1990s, the 1999 centenary celebrations and the subsequent movement of specialist sales to Fieldings, the market has been driven by people who recognise the originality and importance of Cliff’s work.

Today, that collecting community is once again growing.

Renewed interest in women designers, the continuing fascination with Art Deco, the popularity of The Colour Room, increased museum and heritage recognition and the arrival of new collectors have all contributed to a new generation of Clarice Cliff enthusiasts.

Fieldings has been at the heart of that journey for 20 years.

 

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE CLARICE CLIFF AUCTION CATALOGUE

 

For more information  please contact Will Farmer - Will@fieldingsauctioneers.co.uk