Rare Unglazed Fulham Pottery Constance Spry Vase Signed FMB

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About the Item

A medium size Constance Spry vase by Fulham pottery, from the ‘Alber Ware’ range, dating from 1936. Stamped The Fulham Pottery, Made in England, ‘C’ and signed FMB to the base. By Fulham potter William John Marriner, presumably FMB signifies ‘Fulham’, ‘Marriner’ or ‘Model’, ‘B’. Only the first series of Constance Spry unglazed Fulham vases bear the stamped Spry signature. This vase comes from the second series of Spry vases, sold by the Fulham Pottery as ‘Alber Ware’. We’ve included an archival photograph of this vase sitting with others of the Alber Ware range. Marriner designed this range for Fulham Pottery after the style was popularised by Spry’s commission for vases sold through her store, Flower Decoration Ltd. Spry’s floral designs became wildly popular with London society from the early 1930s. The Fulham Pottery saw high demand for her vases, which were designed by Florence Standfast under Constance Spry’s direction. Florence Standfast, an art school student, designed vases which were technically difficult to produce. As a result of the limitations this placed on production, and the high demand for unglazed vases in the Constance Spry mode, Fulham pottery produced a second series in the style of the original. These were designed by their pottery manager W J Marriner closely following the Florence Standfast/Constance Spry style and using the same press-moulding method and the same Devon earthenware clay. Marriner was an experienced potter and understood the limitations of the materials and the press-moulding method. His vases are more soberly built, with less adornment than the first series. The vase offered here is the Alber Ware model B vase, signed FMB. Each vase was formed by hand in a press-mould, the halves joined and a slip or wash applied to the exterior by hand, with incised decoration also by hand. The exterior is unglazed, the interior is coated in a clear glaze. This example in very good condition, with slight coloured scuffs and marking to the unglazed outer surface. No chips or damage to the body. A few lines of glaze crackle at the bottom interior (see final images), but these are very clean. The vase appears unused. The images provided include closeups of flaws, which show the extent of the handwork that went into the production of these vases. We can see seam joints, tool marks, small firing cracks in the base, etc. All part of the hand production of the vase. This is an excellent example of these increasingly rare and desirable vases, in one of the harder-to-find shapes. A recent sale of a 41cm wide FMA vase in the Alber Ware series achieved $12,500 (Christie’s NY, June 2021). Fast, reliable, fully insured shipping is offered free of charge for this item. You can learn more about the life and work of Constance Spry at the Garden Museum, London, which is currently holding an exhibition of her work (until Sept 2021), including a collection of Florence Standfast/Constance Spry signed Fulham vases. References: Tony Peart, ‘The Fulham Pottery 1932-1965: A return to 'artistic' production’, in The Journal of the Decorative Arts Society 1850 - the Present, No. 32, Design and the Decorative Arts in Post-war Britain (2008), pp. 100-125 Christies auctions website, search ‘Constance Spry Vase’.

Creator:
Fulham Pottery (Maker)
Dimensions:
Height: 5.32 in (13.5 cm)Width: 13.78 in (35 cm)Depth: 5.32 in (13.5 cm)
Style:
Art Deco (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Pottery,Unglazed
Place of Origin:
United Kingdom
Period:
1930-1939
Date of Manufacture:
1936
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. Very good condition. No body damage. Some minor colour to the unglazed external surface consistent with everyday scuffs. Small, clean cracking to glaze internal to base. Vase interior appears unused.
Seller Location:
Melbourne, AU
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU2656324501402

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