Poole “Fleurie” 1979-80

by Ray on August 13, 2022

The “Fleurie” Series was made at Poole Pottery UK 1979-1980.

It was designed as a range of giftware pieces by Ros Sommerfelt who was one of the long standing decorators at Poole who took on a greater role from the 1970s.

Fleurie depicts portraits of Women with flamboyant hairstyles in an Art Nouveau style which was very popular in the 1970s. The design is much in the style of Alphonse Mucha, but they are not his designs as is often attributed.

The forms the design was applied to are the same shapes as the ones from the “Beardsley Collection” which Ros Somerfelt also designed in 1979. Others patterns she designed around this time were “Bow Bells”, “Lady of Shalott”, “Arthur & Guinevere”, and “Kandy” amongst others.

The glaze is a smooth satiny “alpine white” and the design transfer applied. Some pieces like the bowl picture below have a lovely band or decoration also applied.