Coveted Cliff

Clarice Cliff for Collectors
By Greg Slater
Thames & Hudson, £18.95
FT Bookshop price: £15.95

The bright, cheerful ceramics created by British designer Clarice Cliff in the early 20th century have attracted collectors and art deco enthusiasts for years. Much has been written about them but this new book adds a fresh dimension by offering practical advice about building and maintaining a collection at home.

A brief over-view of Cliff’s life and work highlights salient points. We learn that she excelled at modelling shapes as well as designing patterns, was a keen photographer and eventually married her boss. Meanwhile the inclusion of old promotional material from the Wilkinson and Newport potteries shows how Cliff herself liked to display her designs.

The main part of this 240-page paperback deals with building a collection. More than 500 pieces are illustrated and identified, acting as a valuable resource for novice and seasoned collectors. The last section offers advice about buying, storing, displaying, conserving, repairing and cataloguing a collection. It also provides suggestions for dispersal, including bequests and the avoidance of post-inheritance disputes, and considers the potential complications of donating to museums.

A bibliography, list of relevant societies and an index to the patterns illustrated within its pages conclude this concise, well-designed and invaluable guide.