ARTIST: Walter Moorcroft Era (British, 1917–2002)
TITLE: “Pansy” Pattern Cabinet Vase (Shape 72)
PRICE: $550.00 CAD
MEDIUM: Hand-painted, tube-lined art pottery / glazed earthenware
CONDITION: Excellent vintage condition. High-gloss tubeline glaze retains superb color vibrancy with rich deep blues, plums, and soft yellows. Base shows genuine impressed factory marks, shape code, and painter’s marks. No visible chips, cracks, or restorations. Pre-owned with modest crazing.
SIZE: 7 1/4” high (Shape 72)
SIGNATURE: Impressed factory marks “MOORCROFT” and “MADE IN ENGLAND” alongside shape number “72” to the base.
BIOGRAPHY / HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
Following the death of legendary ceramicist William Moorcroft in 1945, his son Walter successfully took the helm of the historic English pottery house. Walter dynamically kept his father’s most celebrated Arts & Crafts and Art Nouveau designs alive while utilizing mid-century glaze innovations to maximize pigment depth and contrast.
This elegant cabinet vase is thrown in the iconic Moorcroft “Shape 72” baluster silhouette. It features the highly coveted “Pansy” motif, displaying bold, multi-toned pansy blooms nestled among stylized green foliage isolated via meticulous hand-applied tube-lining. The entire floral layout sits against a deeply saturated, glossy cobalt blue ground. Fully marked on the base, this piece is an immaculate example of authentic mid-20th-century British art pottery history.