Oct 9, 2005 --
Christies Clarice Cliff Sale 9th October 2005
(all prices are subject to Buyers premium of 20% plus VAT)
Recent rumblings of a downturn in prices, meant that the latest Christies Clarice Cliff sale was eagerly awaited by Collectors and Dealers. As well as the joy of a specialist sale, their sales are accepted by most people as being a barometer for Clarice Cliff prices. The sale started with Sabots (clogs), all of which sold for their top estimates. A selection of other smalls followed, the majority of which attracted high prices. Notable results included a plain banded conical bowl with rare pastille feet for £550 and a small Coaster/Pin tray with a not very well executed May Avenue pattern going for £800. Teaware did reasonably well with all of the Crocus sets shooting past their top estimates. A nice, but incomplete and damaged Blue Firs Conical Coffee set made £4000 against a top estimate of £2,500. And a Bonjour Coffee set in Tulips made £1900, despite restoration and missing pieces. Sugar sifters as usual commanded high prices. A damaged Gibraltar Conical sifter was sold for £1300 and the same shape in Apples flew past its top estimate of £900 to reach £2,200. In the vases section a 22cm Meiping in Orange Battle (with slight oxidisation) shot to £3000, leaving its top estimate of £1200 well behind. A very desirable 370 Globe vase in Diamonds tripled its top estimate to go for £4500. A rather splendid 342 Vase in Football made £5,500. The Applique pieces failed to attract their expected bids. A small Blue Lugano vase reached its bottom estimate of £1500, but a part Conical Coffee set and a Lotus in Orange Lucerne failed to sell. All in all, the sale showed that there is no overall dropping of Clarice values and Christies will be pleased with the proceeds of the sale (80% of the lots selling, with many of them far exceeding the estimates). Indeed the percentage of lots sold would have been somewhat increased had it not been for some lots of mundane moulded wares that were obviously of no interest to the audience.
