The Midwinter Cannes pattern pottery, designed by the renowned architect and artist Sir Hugh Casson in 1954, is a lovely range and a testament to the beauty and creativity of mid-20th century British ceramics. The pattern captures the spirit of Cannes, Paris and the French Riviera and even the era itself, and is widely celebrated for its unique design and vibrant colors. We take a look at the history, design, and enduring appeal of this iconic pottery collection along with a realised auction price guide and value guide.
The Midwinter Cannes pattern was created in 1954 from engravings by Sir Hugh Casson (1910-1999) who was a distinguished British architect, interior designer, and watercolorist. Best known for his work as the director of architecture during the Festival of Britain in 1951, Casson also had a significant impact on the world of pottery and ceramics including the Cannes range.
The Midwinter Cannes range features engravings based on the drawings and watercolours of French Cafes, fishing boats, harbours and jettys that were painted by Casson whilst on his travels in France and along the French Riviera. The simple lines; simple colours of mainly azure blue, sunflower yellow, and tangerine orange, with black and white accents to add depth; and the use of the white ceramic background make a great and contrasting set.
The reverse of the pieces includes the words Cannes with a pretty drawing of a harbour and the words below:
Cannes
drawings by Hugh Casson
a genuine hand engraving
permanent acid resisting underglaze colours
by Midwinter
Stylecraft
STAFFORDSHIRE ENGLAND
FASHION SHAPE
The design was initially called Riviera and featured on the Style Craft shape – it was renamed shortly after to Cannes and was made on the Midwinter Fashion shape. The designs appeared on plates, cups and saucers, soup bowls, salt and pepper cruets, vegetable dish, bowls, tureens, a trefoil dish, h’ors d’oeuvres dish etc.
There are a number designs that appear on different flatware including:
A harbour scene fishing a French Cafe with seating outside with a vista to cliffs across the water
A French Cafe / Restaurant
A clifftop scene looking out across the water
A horse and trap in town with a lovely yellow umbrella
A street vendor selling flowers
We like the smaller dishes such as the trefoil dish and h’ors d’oeuvres dish which feature a combination of the drawings.
Price Guide / Value Guide
Sadly the current prices and value of the pieces at auction houses does not reflect the excellent design of the Cannes range.
Related
A brief history of The Festival of Britain and Memorabilia created for the Festival
Midwinter Cannes items on ebay
