Featured Bizarre pottery lamp by Clarice Cliff, anyone recognise the design?

Hello again! Buoyed by the excellent help I received for my last query, I am back again with another mystery.

A week ago I found a lamp base by Clarice Cliff with what appears to be the original 1930s hand painted shade.

The lamp base if cream coloured but it says on the base that it is ‘hand painted’ so I suspect that the paint has been removed by a previous owner.


I’m sure it was designed as a lamp because the hole at the side for the wire is glazed, and it may originally had a stand as there is a hole in the base.

It seems to be a fairly early piece as the marking on the base looks to be a stamp as the ink has run slightly.

I can’t find any other examples that include a woman riding a sea creature but I have found an example of similar looking fish...





Has anyone seen the same design? I’d love to know what colours the lamp base might have been painted...
Thanks!

 

I think I could narrow down the date of the lamp if I could find out when stamp changed from ‘Wilkinson Ltd’ and ‘Wilkinson Pottery’ but I can’t find any clear answer...

 

I don't think anything has been removed, the "paint" is fired on in the kiln and isn't really a paint as such and it would be extremely difficult to remove.
What I believe you have here is a version of the "boy on a dolphin" motif, although with a great deal of artistic licence both with the rider and the mount!
Oh - and not all Bizarre ware is angular deco in bright colours, plain pieces like this are also found.

 

It’s a standard mark they’ve used which includes “Hand painted” .Probably used it on everything whether hand painted or not.

Not seen anything like that before marked Bizarre . Needs more research.

 

Oh ok, I have no real life experience with Clarice Cliff but from the photos it often seems that there is paint over the glaze that has been damaged over the years. I’ve never understood why this would be the case but it seemed like there were areas where the paint was missing...

 

I have contacted Andrew Muir (the Leading Clarice Cliff Dealer) and he called it a ‘blank’ but couldn’t tell me anything else about it. It seems strange that they would release an undecorated piece out of the factory.

 

I've never seen a plain piece like this. That good moulding is also highly unusual, she was far more of a painter than sculptor.

@blooey - Clarice Cliff is often cold painted or over glaze decorated, it has a tendency to wear.

The mark purports to be the post 1930 to late 30s one. It's odd that it's badly done though. It doesn't look right to my eye. Two possibilities: it might be postwar when all sorts of stuff was released under her name. Or, it a nice lampbase that someone has put the stamp on.

Actually. Third thought. Wedgwood did some Clarice and this looks more like their creamware.

 

It was common place within many factories for workers to receive gifts from their firms, or to be allowed to have "seconds" at low cost. It may be possible that your lamp(jug) is indeed a one-off piece produced by the person who originally owned it, or was given as a gift for length of service or his/her wedding or retirement.

 

Not unless Eros has grown boobs. No wings, either.

 

It is an unusual piece for Clarice Cliff. I'm surprised that Andrew Muir couldn't provide info about it. Found this same example on eBay Australia. Scroll down and you'll see it.

rare clarice cliff lamps - Bing images

 

What is it that She's riding? Is it a Turtle?

 

Sea serpent or flying fish, I think.

I can't see the backstamp on that Aussie one.

 

Man boobs!

 

Yes that was me, but I DID say both creatures were interpreted with a great degree of "artistic licence"

 

New idea - Ponyo.

 

It's a Ghibli lamp!

 

not unusual for old beer drinkers - perhaps a special Aussie edition ?