Ranfurly Vase

This Nautilus Shell is a classic form that was produced in Europe prior to Crown Lynn; first copying the English ceramics, to go on to being the largest ceramic factory in the Southern Hemisphere, with a factory in England!

This Shell form survived decades of production, possibly the Pasifika style suited out South Seas semi- Tropical Islands.

A great piece to have in the home.

Very convenient for storing keys, and other essentials, by the front door.

As Crown Lynn struggled against the New Zealand public’s perception that the best ceramics were from England, The designers worked to styles that were popular with European fashion.

This is shape can be seen in several similar variation produced by English factories during the 1920.s-1950’s. Tom Clarke, the creator of Crown Lynn was keen to make shapes in New Zealand, that competed with the English imports, from the earliest days of the factory’s move into decorative ceramics.

Interesting is the employment of Ernest Shufflebotham, from Wedgewood Pottery, whose ‘Hand Potted” range made at Crown Lynn was directly influenced by Kieth Murray, a New Zealand designer who had worked at Wedgewood!

This form can be described as art deco or modernist.

Challenged by the conservative tastes of the majority public, in those days, the advanced work of Crown Lynn’s designers such as Mirek Smisek, Frank Carpey, and Deniel Steenstra, these artists worked on a huge range or pieces, often toning down their best efforts to reach a marketable standard.

Today this form is a natural setting in a post modern environment, providing sharp lines of elegance, and simplicity in overall presentation.

The range of finishes range from the best known Ivory Matt glaze that most of the  original pieces were produced, to a selection of pastel tones.

More of a decorative piece than a functional vase.

This was part of the Studio Ceramics range of Crown Lynn work, an Auckland producer that employed many people trained in the original Crown Lynn factory.

Crown Lynn Kiwi, makes the Next Generation of the forms produced originally at Crown Lynn, then by Catherine Anselmi Ceramics, later by Studio Ceramics and since 2017 by Stepa.nz (Stepahead Ceramics) a companion label Crownlynn.kiwi.

View the other amazing Crown Lynn or Legacy Range here

Information provided by Te Toi Uku