In 1924, William Moorcroft exhibited his finest wares at the spectacular British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, one piece of which will be sold in the 20th Century Design Sale at Tennants Auctioneers on 13th June (estimate: £3,000-5,000 plus buyer’s premium). The vase is being sold by a collector of note.
The Moonlit Blue Landscape Pattern Vase measures an impressive 38.5cm high and is signed ‘W Moorcroft British Empire Exhibition’ at the base. It is thought to be one of the four vases displayed in the alcoves recessed into the architectural stand, which held a prominent position in the Palace of Industry. His fifty-foot-long stand was a model of modern exhibition design, created by Edward Maufe, the designer and architect who built Guildford Cathedral, and provided a striking backdrop to his visionary pottery.
The showcase captured the visitor’s imagination, and Hilda Brownrigg, who worked on the stand noted that “A tremendous number of people come and say that this is the only really beautiful exhibit at Wembley, and as passers-by stop and look this way, one can see their lips forming the word ‘beautiful’”. The display also attracted the attention of serious collectors from home and abroad, the high-profile stage helping spread his fame around the world and confirmed Moorcroft’s popularity with Queen Mary and other members of the Royal Family, which led to his receipt of a Royal Warrant in 1928.
The British Empire Exhibition
At a time when the British Empire was dwindling, with challenges from foreign powers and more resistance from the dominions to follow British foreign policy, a spectacular exhibition was planned. Indeed, the official aim was:
“to stimulate trade, strengthen bonds that bind mother Country to her Sister States and Daughters, to bring into closer contact the one with each other, to enable all who owe allegiance to the British flag to meet on common ground and learn to know each other”.
The Empire Stadium, with its iconic twin-tower façade, was constructed on the site of the pleasure gardens in Wembley Park, later becoming Wembley Stadium that stood until 2003. Designed by William Simpson and Maxwell Ayrton and built by Sir Robert McAlpine, it could hold 125,000 people and was constructed in just ten months aided by the widespread use of concrete. The complex comprised the national sports ground with running track and pitch, the main exhibition building and surrounding pavilions, each designed to represent a colony or group of colonies, which included 56 of the 58 territories, only missing The Gambia and Gibraltar.
After a grand ceremony, opened by King George V, the exhibition ran from 23rd April 1924 to 31st October 1925, having closed over winter. The exhibition showcased that natural wealth, industry and trade from each nation. For example, the Canadian pavilion included displays on minerals, farming, forestry, the paper industry, the holiday industry and the diary industry, which even included a life-size butter sculpture of the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VIII. Whilst not a financial success, having cost over £12m to stage, it was the largest exhibition ever staged and attracted over 27m visitors.
William Moorcroft
Moorcroft Is one of the most important names in the history of British Art Pottery. In an era that was striving towards mass production, William Moorcroft produced hand painted wares that have long been admired by collectors.
In 1897, having graduated from the Royal College of Art in London, the 24-year-old Moorcroft was recruited as a designer for James Macintyre & Co. in Staffordshire. Given his own studio, he developed his unique decorative style with raised slip decoration and floral Art Nouveau forms. Rather unusually for the time, he signed or initialled each piece. His first innovative range was Florian ware, which would go on to win a gold medal in the 1904 World’s Fair in St Louis, Missouri.
His art pottery soon garnered admirers, and it was picked up for retail by the likes of Liberty’s and Harrods in London, and Tiffany & Co. in New York. However, disgruntled that the young designer’s work was overshadowing their other wares, Macintyre & Co. shut down his studio in 1912. With financial backing from Liberty’s, who retained their stake until the early 1960s, Moorcroft set up his own studio the following year in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. From here, he continued to produce his fine, distinctive art pottery, going on to be issued a Royal Warrant from Queen Mary in 1928 as well as winning a host of other accolades. Moorcroft Pottery continued to flourish as it grew and adapted to suit the styles of the day.
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