A rare Studio Pottery vase by Susie Cooper in the M.81 Orchids pattern. This particular pattern is the blue variation with simplified leaves in matt glaze and dates to circa 1932. The vase is typical of the 1930's deco era patterns produced on the studio vases, and was what diferentiated Susie Cooper from the other 1930's pottery designers like Clarice Cliff and Charlotte Rhead.
The vase has is fully marked to the base with the pattern number M81 and the paintresses mark V.K. in brown, with Susie Coopers full facsimile signature in dark blue under. This particular piece is in good overall condition with no chips, cracks or crazing to the exterior pattern or the rim, however it does have quite a large firing fault in the interior base, where a disc of glaze has fractured off either during the firing or soon after, leaving the bare stoneware ceramic visible beneath (see photograph below). Because this is unseen to the interior of the vase and in no way affects the pattern, we would consider this to be a minor imperfection and looks worse than it actually is. We have taken this flaw into account in our pricing, with consideration of the rarity of Studio pieces.
The vase stands an impressive 6 inches (15cm) tall with a maximum diameter of 5 inches (13cm approximately) and would make a stunning addition to an Art Deco ceramics collection as an example of Susie Coopers work and much rarer than the normal run-of-the-mill tablewares usually seen carrying her name.
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