Florenz Pottery Hat shape wall vase, Australian Pottery, Sydney 1934-9
$135.00 AUD
Australian Pottery wall vase in the shape of a straw hat, after an English design, by Florence Maud Williams, ‘Florenz Pottery’, Marrickville, Sydney.
Incised mark, ‘Florenz / J29’
Circa 1935
Good condition with minor signs of age
Florence Maud Williams (1894-1948) studied pottery making in Sydney before establishing ‘The Florenz Pottery Pty Ltd’ in an old stable in Marrickville, in 1934. The name is of course a variation of her own name. Her husband George devised an oil-burning kiln to fire in, rather than the more usual coal-powered kilns of the time. Between 1934-39, they made a series of Australiana-themed pieces (gum leaf decoration was a favourite) -and apparently English-style straw hat vases. It is interesting to compare this Australian example to a 1930’s English example by Soho Potteries (see attached photo) – while not cast directly from, ad the upper lip on the Australian appears to be broader, comparing the ribbon & flowers shows Florence copied the design exactly, down to the last petal.
The outbreak of war in 1939 impacted small studio potteries like Florenz, with the ‘War Effort’ dictating what could be made: they became suppliers of utilitarian medical items, and electrical insulators. This continued after the war, as it probably provided a constant revenue stream; however, in 1948 Florence died, and soon after the concern was sold and moved.
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