Nell Vyse's Nine At Thirty Three

Nineteen Thirty Three
In 1933, Nell Vyse after her convalescence, and with renewed strength and vigour, she began renew her interest in the political events in Britain. Naturally, there was the increasing talk of German rearmament, along with Adolph Hitler, the German Chancellor. Nervously, the population glanced towards the English Channel fearing invasion. The Communist Party of Great Britain was calling for united action against international fascism. Impassioned by this state of affairs, Nell determined to join the CPGB even if it meant alienating herself from her husband, Charles Vyse. However, Ernest Marsh, when making his customary weekly visit to the Vyses’ studio, found them busy fulfilling the commission of a valued client, who he had requested some editions of their earlier figures. Although, as they remarked, ‘he was paying a good price for the work,’ it was with reluctance they had complied with his wishes. The overriding factor was

From his preliminary sketches came his second ‘Big Top’ subject, an equestrian figure group titled Circus, which is, even by today’s standards, a ceramic tour-de-force (Fig. 120). In the compositon a suggested interaction between the two subjects, the Clown and the Rosin Dancer, adds a captivating and poignant delight, with the addition of the colourful decoration, it is at once exquisite. The delicacy of light and shade falling across the modelling, is in itself quite breath taking. Today, however, it may be considered foolhardy to market a figure group that demanded numerous piece-moulds, with hand-painted decoration. During this period, Walker’s Monthly magazine, published photographs in black and white, denying its readers of seeing the Circus group illustrated in full