Huge Art Nouveau Sunflower Pottery ‘Elton Ware’ Three Handled Ceramic Vase c.1880-90

This is a striking example of a piece of ‘Elton Ware’ produced at the Sunflower Pottery by Sir Edmund Elton and dating to the end of the 19th century.

The vase has a broad, galleried rim that tapers in towards the short, waisted neck. This sits on the large globular body. Three equidistant curved loops or handles connect the rim and the body.

The base is flat and marked in the centre with the standard ‘ELTON’ mark by hand. There are three rough trivet marks over this so it is slightly obscured.

The body is glazed in an eye-catching mix of yellow, blue, green, and purple, that have dripped and flowed together to create an organic effect. This glazing is continued onto the interior of the rim, and the remainder of the interior is coated in clear glaze.

The vase has a height of approximately 29.4cm, with a diameter across the rim of about 17.5cm and across the base of about 14.5cm. I have photographed it next to a bottle of wine to give an idea of the sheer size of it.

It has an unwrapped weight of 5090g.

It is in excellent condition, with no chips or cracks, although the glazing has crazed all over. Due to this crazing, there is a very minor flake of glaze (measuring 2mm by 2mm) that is missing from the rim (see pictures). This wear is to be expected from such a large piece and is only visible on close scrutiny.