True 1950s style. Elegance by name, elegant by...

If ever a range of pottery typified the design style of the 1950s, to me, this would be it.

Designed in the mid 1950s by a young John Clappison for Hornsea Pottery, this is Elegance. The range was in production between 1955 and 1959. The asymmetrical shapes incorporate deep curves. The outers are decorated with clean white unglazed stripes against a glossy black background. The interiors and details are in yellow, sometimes in golden yellow, sometimes in paler lemon yellow. Shown here (middle picture) is a smart salt and pepper set with a tall tapering form, and a vase (bottom picture) which has a hole on its flat back side to allow for hanging on a wall.

There's a fine example from the Elegance range in the collection of the V&A museum, London. You can see it here: Elegance vase

If, like me, you have a fondness for mid-century design, you'll probably agree that this range could be truly described as Elegance by name, and elegant by nature.