$750.00

SOLD for $750 in 2020 after only 3 hours on being listed! This is part of a LARGE consignment of vintage Ellis pottery that will be listed in iNVISeDGE over upcoming weeks/months! Keep following our NEWLY LISTED Category. Get in contact with us if you’d like to buy or sell a similar piece using the links below.

 

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Description

SOLD for $750 after only 3 hours of being listed on our website. This listing was also shared immediately on our Instagram page. www.instagram.com/invisedge

Part of a large consignment of vintage Ellis pottery that will be listed in iNVISeDGE over upcoming weeks/months! Many of the pieces that are about to be listed are rare designs / have glazes I’ve never seen before. These items belong to a family who were friends with the founders of Ellis Pottery so some of these items were never sold in a retail situation. Keep following our NEWLY LISTED Category.

Let us know if you have interest in any of the others shown in the group photos and we’ll fast-track the listing for you.

This piece SOLD on behalf of a private vendor (we took possession of this collection and have sold / are selling it out of our iNVISeDGE Morayfield depot).

Additional story that came from researching Ellis Pottery further. (Please skip to Background Info and Provenance Section if you only have interest in the piece on offer.)

Despite the fact that Ellis pottery is so highly-regarded and collectable there is little information out there about Ellis in books or even online. Some of the facts we know …

  • Dagmar and Miloslav Kratochvil, were political refugees who fled Czechoslovakia in 1951.
  • Their studio was initially set up in the garage of their home in 1953.
  • Orders from Myer / Grace Bros facilitated the expansion of their operation in the mid-1950’s.
  • Their subsequent factory at 86 Nicholson Street, Abbotsford, employed students at the local RMIT.
  • Their factory ceased to exist in 1972.
  • The factory today in Abbotsford has no trace of their existence and there is very little documentation in books or online about the now-famous Ellis pottery firm.
  • Dasa and Milda Kratochvil regularly attended editorial meetings for the Australian-published newspaper, “Hlas Domova” (Voice of Home).
  • Despite their now rather obscure history, Ellis Pottery has helped Australian handicrafts sit proudly alongside international offerings from the same era.

This is yet another story of resilience and success that has coloured Australia’s rich history in the Arts. Australia’s indigenous artists are regarded as some of the best in the world. On top of this many artists who fled Europe and settled here in Australia as a result of political unrest / World War II, went on to become some of Australia’s most celebrated artists ever, including Dagmar and Miloslav Kratochvil. In my time setting up and running iNVISeDGE, I have read time and time again stories of refugees who set up industries in their garages in the 50’s and went on to achieve success they could only dream of. Many of these people came to Australia with no physical assets and the trauma of having to flee home and venture into the unknown. We can all learn from their industriousness and resilience.

Dagmar and Miloslav Kratochvil BOTH worked 2 jobs, slaving for 18 hours a day for years (oh I know the feeling only too well) to get to a point where they could afford to set-up their studio in the garage of their home. I, too, set up in my garage until the point where I started to actually get somewhere and local Council closed me down! (Which is hindsight they never should have done. I was not running a business from home, I was using my garage to store items for iNVISeDGE. I was too young and exhausted to fight them so I just closed at that time.) Once the Kratochvil’s work received the recognition it deserved, their industriousness didn’t stop (it was just the start of what Ellis pottery would later become).

My vendor’s mother was with the Kratochvils and helped them close the Ellis factory in 1972 after nearly 2 decades of creative pursuit. I would love to be able to go back to 1972 and be a fly on the wall as this factory was being closed. What was the feeling as they went about closing 2 decades of creation? Were their hearts breaking or celebrating achievements? I suspect it was a bittersweet moment for all who were there. It breaks my heart that no businesses like Ellis have survived and now mass-produced “rubbish” that quickly ends up as landfill reigns supreme. These days the only thing Australia seems to do well at is destroying the environment in the pursuit of uncovering fossil fuels we don’t even need! The whole idea makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time!

What’s ironic is that COVID-19 may actually pave the way for small LOCAL CREATIVE industry to prosper again. God only knows how many small businesses in the last decade have largely “slogged their guts out” and got absolutely nowhere. Drowned by international CONGLOMERATES that exist because of the greed of their founders and their overseas share-holders, small business in Australia- small businesses like what Ellis became- have had little chance of achieving the types of success possible in the 1950’s. I pray that COVID-19 may create a new normal. Instead of this virus forcing us apart and away from each other, I pray that COVID-19 eventually brings us together and paves the way for LOCAL CREATIVE industry to prosper again like it did back in the 1950’s.

If about HALF of us started to value what we should be valuing (ie. LOCAL INDUSTRY) I think we might just be able to start living with peace and love in our hearts again instead of destruction, violence and bitterness. I pray for this almost every day- I pray that the major reform we need becomes a reality. If this is possible (and I believe it is), we will return back to the heyday of the 1950’s where we actually knew the people in our community who created the furniture we sat in, the decor items we revered so much, the food we ate and the meals that were prepared with so much love at our one and only local restaurant…

Background Info and Provenance

(This description was written in 2020.)

A ceramic/pottery lion done by Ellis. Some people may immediately argue this is a Gus McLaren piece but it’s definitely ELLIS. This is part of a large consignment of ELLIS pottery. The owner of this consignment mother (Marcela Cechova) was fast friends of Milda and Dasa Katochvil, founders of Ellis pottery. My vendor’s mother, Marcela was not an Australian pottery collector, the Ellis pieces she acquired were gifted from the Ellis pottery founders and many of these pieces are RARE. This LARGE lion is one of them. I’ve seen NO photos of this Ellis piece online- in fact if I saw this photo I’d too assume it was by Gus McLaren- it’s not. Gus McLaren’s lions are all inscribed with the McLaren name on the belly and Gus McLaren constructed his pieces differently- this is unmistakably Ellis- it’s made exactly the same way as all Ellis pieces were plus it’s significantly BIGGER than the McLaren release.

It’s an interesting one- who created this design and who copied it off the other? We may never find out and I don’t care. BOTH McLaren and the Katochvil’s were gifted designers in their own right. Neither had any NEED to copy off the other and this is to me is where this story gets so interesting. Did McLaren and the Kratochvil’s collaborate at some stage? And if not, why did one copy the other? I have no doubt it’s because this is a great piece of design! (Don’t they say the copying is the biggest form of flattery- I’m not sure I agree with that but … ) This piece has been beautifully made- the HAND-PAINTED decoration means it’s a ONE-OFF piece in the true sense of the word- whether there are any more of the Ellis ones floating around I can only speculate. I’ve never seen another of these Ellis ones before. I have a lamp-base design in this consignment that the owner assures me is a prototype that never went into production. This lion could be in the same boat but even if it’s not, there are not many of these around. No discussion boards I’ve come across etc have this as an Ellis shape.

I can’t believe the clamouring that occurred for the first Ellis piece in this consignment that I put up- miss this one and I doubt you’ll come across another again. It’s a wonderful piece of history with a fascinating story attached and it is connected directly to the Kratochvils- that’s pretty special in my eyes. I love that it’s blue (a RARE Ellis colour) and I love the decoration. The decoration is not interfering with the shape and design but instead complements it. Some of the McLaren ones have a bit of colour- the colour seems to take the attention from the comical shape. I really like this one and to me both McLaren and Ellis were capable of creating great designs- if Ellis copied it from McLaren (and that’s an IF) … Ellis did a good job of it.

The mother of my vendor, Marcela Cechova, became fast friends of the Ellis pottery founders through their joint support of the Australian-published Czech newspaper “Hlas Domova” (Voice of Home.) Macela was a journalist and a regular contributor of “Hlas Domova” which was published for decades- the Kratochvils often attended editorial meetings.

Bitossi animals (Italian) in this size fetch about AUD $1000 in Australia (written in 2020) so this rare Australian offering here also represents an astute INVESTMENT opportunity. Ellis pottery is much-loved not just in Australia but internationally. The beautiful stylized shapes won hearts quickly back in the day, so much so that the Kratochvil’s initial setup in their garage quickly became inadequate. When Myer / Grace Brothers started placing large orders, they moved into a factory in Nicholson Street, Abbotsford (not far from Melbourne). The Kratochvil’s employed a team of more than 15 people, many of whom were students from the Art Department of the RMIT.

For many (myself included) searching for Ellis ceramics gives me more joy than any Poker Machine ever could. When I come across one of the more elusive Ellis shapes, my heart skips a beat, my palms start sweating and I have been known to jump for joy (particularly if I find one in a box under a table at a garage sale! I wait until I’ve left the unsuspecting home before I jump for joy though!) When this consignment of Ellis pieces came my way, I went out of my way to represent them (my vendor now lives in Yeppoon, 600km North of Brisbane). Some of the pieces in this consignment are rarely seen and some are the only ones I’ve ever come across. (This lion is one of them.)

This stunning ceramic lion by celebrated handiwork firm, Ellis, has been around for more than a season and certainly more than a few issues of your favourite interior design magazine. If it’s still in vogue after 5 to 6 decades it will always be. After mass-produced modern pieces have ended up as landfill, this vintage décor piece (that was HAND-DECORATED) will be passed onto yet another generation. There’s no better way to invest in your home and help protect our planet for future generations. INVESTING in hand-crafted items is a small but important way we can all help change our children’s future.

2011

This piece is in excellent vintage condition with no condition issues that warrant a mention. There are NO cracks, NO chips, NO careless damage at all. The piece is vintage so it may have some very minor signs of age and use but nothing worth noting (as our photos show). The glaze has skipped in a couple of places UNDER the feet- this is not noticed AT ALL when the piece is on display (as shown in our photos). That doesn't warrant a mention either but it's better to be more comprehensive that not enough. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Measurements. Blue Lion. 34cm at it's longest point. 22cm at its highest. This lion is the biggest Ellis animal I've ever had.
PICK-UP . . . from 30 or 40 minutes North of BRISBANE city is accepted but postage is preferred as my home is hard to find. Because of this I will nominate a friend or family member for you to collect the item from if you need collection. Pick-up in person must be worked out prior to purchase- thank you. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ POSTAGE is offered internationally. All our Decorative Arts pieces are delivered through AUSTRALIA POST. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ POSTAGE ESTIMATES. . . . ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ To BRISBANE- most of our pieces cost $15 - $18 to send. . . To SYDNEY or MELBOURNE- Small Vase- around $20 - $23, Medium Vase- around $20 - $25, Large Vase- around $24 - $30. Let us know if you need an EXACT COST for postage prior to purchase. The above postage estimates include $2.95 for a signature on delivery. . . INSURANCE against being lost or broken in transit up to the value of $200 is included in the estimates above. If your vase is cheaper or more expensive than $200 this will effect your postage fee slightly. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A BOXING FEE of $3.00 is included in the fee above to cover the cost of searching for and storing used packing materials. With the millions of cardboard boxes that end up as landfill every year we don’t believe in supporting the manufacture of boxes for post. Instead of buying new boxes and packing materials and passing this cost onto our customers we spend considerable time sourcing used boxes and then fashioning boxes to fit each item. We do the same for bubble-wrap and foam pieces. This requires a large investment of time, energy, ingenuity, organization and storage space- it is much easier and cheaper to buy new packing materials but I can’t justify taking the easy way out when so much packing material ends up polluting our earth. Our $3.00 charge does little to pay for the time (and storage) needed do this and to pack your item (there is also the time needed to get your package to the post office). This is something we’re happy to do for our customers and the environment. We appreciate your support in this area.
We accept DIRECT BANK DEPOSIT. We send photographic ID of the iNVISeDGE store owner (Michael Grealy) to all customers at the point of sale, along with media articles about iNVISeDGE with photos of Michael Grealy in them (most of these articles are about 10 years old). Your payment will be paid into an Australian ANZ bank account under the name Michael Grealy (or iNVISeDGE). Please read our ebay feedback spanning more than 15 years for irrefutable proof of our online trading history and reputation. Ebay feedback can ONLY be left by LEGITIMATE PAYING customers! Additionally please be aware that in Australia ALL consumers are protected BY LAW if the goods or services they buy are not as described. (But this should be of no concern- in our first 17 years of trading we have over 1150 positive ebay feedback comments and ZERO negative feedback comments.) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ On occasions a DIRECT BANK DEPOSIT can be made at the time of collection. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ On occasions CASH payment when you collect your item may also be available. Confirm prior to purchase if you need this. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Other payment methods are available but problematic and may incur additional fees. Tell us prior to purchase if you are unable to feel 100% confident with our trading history and payment methods so we can negotiate something else with you.
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