Ceramic Figurative Sculptures

Belle au bois… Aurore is a unique smoke-fired stoneware, pigment, copper, steel sculpture by French contemporary artist Cécile Raynal, dimensions are 45 × 30 × 25 cm (17.7 × 11.8 × 9...

Picador, by Pablo Picasso, 1950's, Bowl, Sculpture, Design, Edition, Earthenware Picador Ed. 500 pcs 1955 White earthenware clay, decoration in engobes and paraffin, white enamel 12...

"Angelic Crystal, Atelier – Terracotta" is a radiant expression of purity, ascension, and transformation. Captured in a moment of poised elevation, the female figure is both grounded...

The three series that make up her thesis show all center around the woman as an art historical trope who becomes a contemporary archetype of tenderness and tenacity with her own narrative. The tradition of the woman as muse or object is questioned and turned upside down as she gives her women the position of subject, i.e., the position of power. The jars, which uphold pairs of women, are the ultimate overturn of male dominance as she removes and replaces all male characters from famous artworks with women...

Asymmetrical head of man, terracotta sculpture, 1930s-40s, Giorgio Rossi (1894-1981). Terracotta modeled by hand by the artist. Unique piece.  Dimensions: Height 34 cm. The choice ...

Artist: (Garo) Karapet Balakeseryan Medium: Ceramic, Clay, Handmade, One of a Kind Year: 2023 Style: Classic, Impressionism, Subject: Portrai...

Waylande Gregory (American, 1905-1971) Polo Player, c. 1930s Ceramic Inscribed signature on bottom 11 x 8.5 inches Waylande Gregory was considered a major American sculptor during the 1930's, although he worked in ceramics, rather than in the more traditional bronze or marble. Exhibiting his ceramic works at such significant American venues for sculpture as the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City and at the venerable Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, he also showed his ceramic sculptures at leading New York City galleries. Gregory was the first modern ceramist to create large scale ceramic sculptures, some measuring more than 70 inches in height. Similar to the technique developed by the ancient Etruscans, he fired his monumental ceramic sculptures only once. Gregory was born in 1905 in Baxter Springs, Kansas and was something of a prodigy. Growing up on a ranch near a Cherokee reservation, Gregory first became interested in ceramics as a child during a native American burial that he had witnessed. He was also musically inclined. In fact, his mother had been a concert pianist and had given her son lessons. At eleven, he was enrolled as a student at the Kansas State Teacher's College, where he studied carpentry and crafts, including ceramics. Gregory's early development as a sculptor was shaped by the encouragement and instruction of Lorado Taft, who was considered both a major American sculptor as well as a leading American sculpture instructor. In fact, Taft's earlier students included such significant sculptors as Bessie Potter Vonnoh and Janet Scudder. But, Taft and his students had primarily worked in bronze or stone, not in clay; and, Gregory's earliest sculptural works were also not in ceramics. In 1924, Gregory moved to Chicago where he caught the attention of Taft. Gregory was invited by Taft to study with him privately for 18 months and to live and work with him at his famed "Midway Studios." The elegant studio was a complex of 13 rooms that overlooked a courtyard. Taft may have been responsible for getting the young man interested in creating large scale sculpture. However, by the 1920's, Taft's brand of academic sculpture was no longer considered progressive. Instead, Gregory was attracted to the latest trends appearing in the United States and Europe. In 1928 he visited Europe with Taft and other students. "Kid Gregory," as he was called, was soon hired by Guy Cowan, the founder of the Cowan Pottery in Cleveland, Ohio, to become the company's only full time employee. From 1928 to 1932, Gregory served as the chief designer and sculptor at the Cowan Pottery. Just as Gregory learned about the process of creating sculpture from Taft, he literally learned about ceramics from Cowan. Cowan was one of the first graduates of Alfred, the New York School of Clayworking and Ceramics. Alfred had one of the first programs in production pottery. Cowan may have known about pottery production, but he had limited sculptural skills, as he was lacking training in sculpture. The focus of the Cowan Pottery would be on limited edition, table top or mantle sculptures. Two of the most successful of these were Gregory's "Nautch Dancer," (fig. 1) and his "Burlesque Dancer," (fig. 2). He based both sculptures on the dancing of Gilda Gray, a Ziegfield Follies girl. Gilda Gray was of Polish origin and came to the United States as a child. By 1922, she would become one of the most popular stars in the Follies. After losing her assets in the stock market crash of 1929, she accepted other bookings outside of New York, including Cleveland, which was where Gregory first saw her onstage. She allowed Gregory to make sketches of her performances from the wings of the theatre. She explained to Gregory, "I'm too restless to pose." Gray became noted for her nautch dance, an East Indian folk dance. A nautch is a tight, fitted dress that would curl at the bottom and act like a hoop. This sculpture does not focus on Gray's face at all, but is more of a portrait of her nautch dance. It is very curvilinear, really made of a series of arches that connect in a most feminine way. Gregory created his "Burlesque Dancer" at about the same time as "Nautch Dancer." As with the "Nautch Dancer," he focused on the movements of the body rather than on a facial portrait of Gray. Although Gregory never revealed the identity of his model for "Burlesque Dancer," a clue to her identity is revealed in the sculpture's earlier title, "Shimmy Dance." The dancer who was credited for creating the shimmy dance was also Gilda Gray. According to dance legend, Gray introduced the shimmy when she sang the "Star Spangled Banner" and forgot some of the lyrics, so, in her embarrassment, started shaking her shoulders and hips but she did not move her legs. Such movement seems to relate to the "Burlesque Dancer" sculpture, where repeated triangular forms extend from the upper torso and hips. This rapid movement suggests the influence of Italian Futurism, as well as the planar motion of Alexander Archipenko, a sculptor whom Gregory much admired. The Cowan Pottery was a victim of the great depression, and in 1932, Gregory changed careers as a sculptor in the ceramics industry to that of an instructor at the Cranbrook Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Cranbrook was perhaps the most prestigious place to study modern design in America. Its faculty included the architect Eliel Saarinen and sculptor Carl Milles. Although Gregory was only at Cranbrook for one and one half years, he created some of his finest works there, including his "Kansas Madonna" (fig. 3). But, after arriving at Cranbrook, the Gregory's had to face emerging financial pressures. Although Gregory and his wife were provided with complimentary lodgings, all other income had to stem from the sale of artworks and tuition from students that he, himself, had to solicit. Gregory had many people assisting him with production methods at the Cowan Pottery, but now worked largely by himself. And although he still used molds, especially in creating porcelain works, many of his major new sculptures would be unique and sculpted by hand, as is true of "Kansas Madonna." The scale of Gregory's works were getting notably larger at Cranbrook than at Cowan. Gregory left the surface of "Kansas Madonna" totally unglazed. Although some might object to using a religious title to depict a horse nursing its colt, it was considered one of Gregory's most successful works. In fact, it had a whole color page illustration in an article about ceramic sculpture titled, "The Art with the Inferiority Complex," Fortune Magazine, December, 1937. The article notes the sculpture was romantic and expressive and the sculpture was priced at $1,500.00; the most expensive sculpture in the article. Gregory was from Kansas, and "Kansas Madonna" should be considered a major sculptural document of Regionalism. Gregory and his wife Yolande moved to New Jersey in the summer of 1933. And the artist began construction on his new home in the Watchung Mountains of Bound Brook (Warren today) in 1938. His enormous, custom kiln was probably constructed at the start of 1938. Gregory's new sculptures were the largest ceramic sculptures in western art, in modern times. To create these works of ceramic virtuosity, the artist developed a "honeycomb" technique, in which an infrastructure of compartments was covered by a ceramic "skin." Science and atomic energy were a theme in Gregory's most significant work, the "Fountain of the Atom" (fig. 4), at the 1939 New York's World Fair. This major work included twelve monumental ceramic figures at the fairground entrance from the newly constructed railway entrance, giving the work great visibility and prominence. The framework of the fountain itself was of steel and glass bricks. It consisted of a bluish green pool which was sixty five feet in diameter. Above it were two concentric circular tiers, or terraces, as Gregory called them; the first wider than the second. On the first terrace were eight "Electrons," comprised of four male and four female terra cotta figures, each approximately 48 inches high. These relate to the valance shell of the atom. Above them on a narrower terrace, were the much larger and heavier terra cotta figures depicting the four elements, each averaging about 78 inches in height and weighing about a ton and a half. Of the four, "Water" and "Air" were male, while "Earth" and "Fire" were female. This terrace represents the nucleus of the atom. In the center of the fountain, above the "Elements," was a central shaft comprised of sixteen glass tubes from which water tumbled down from tier to tier. At the top, a colorful flame burned constantly. The glass block tiers were lit from within, the whole creating a glowing and gurgling effect. Since the fair was temporary, the figures could be removed after its closing. But the credit for the design of the structure of the fountain belongs to collaborator Nembhard Culin, who was responsible for several other structures on the fair grounds as well. Although Gregory created a figure of "Fire" for the "Fountain of the Atom," he also executed a second, slightly smaller but more defined version which he exhibited at various locations (including Cranbrook, Baltimore Museum, etc.) in 1940-1941, during the second year of the fair (fig.5). Measuring 61 inches in height, "Fire" may be a metaphor for sexual energy, as well as atomic energy. Gregory stated, "Fire is represented by an aquiline female figure being consumed in endless arabesques of flame." Portraiture was also a significant focus of Gregory's sculpture. Gregory produced many commissioned portraits of local people as well as celebrities. He created Albert Einstein's portrait from life (fig. 6, ca. 1940) after Einstein had seen Gregory's "Fountain of the Atom." He also sculpted some of the leading figures in entertainment, including 2 sculptures of Henry Fonda, who became a personal friend. Gregory also sculpted a series of idealized female heads, both in terra cotta and in porcelain. These include "Girl with Olive" (ca. 1932) and "Cretan Girl;"(ca. 1937) both are very reductive and almost abstract works that call to mind Constantine Brancusi's "Mademoiselle Pogany" (1912, Philadelphia Museum of Art). But perhaps one of his most original female heads is "Head of a Child" (fig. 7, ca. 1933), a sensitive white glazed terra cotta portrayal with elaborately crafted braded hair, was originally created as one of a pair. Gregory also produced sculptural works for the Works Progress Administration. The WPA was a work relief project that greatly helped artists during the great depression. Founded by the Federal Government in 1935, an estimated 2500 murals were produced. Among these public works were the iconic post office murals. But, among the painted murals were also sculptural relief murals including Gregory's "R.F.D.," 1938, for the Columbus, Kansas Post Office. But, Gregory's largest WPA relief...

Dark & white diptych "People" is comprised of 24,000 handmade pigs. The work has many different topographical features and is visually striking. Each pig figurine measures 0.5" x 1" ...

Knight of Calm 621 is from Linda Stein’s Knights of Protection series, which she started after being forced to evacuate her New York downtown studio for a year post-9/11. Stein's Kn...

This sculpture from Linda Stein’s Knights of Protection series functions both as a defender in battle and a symbol of pacifism. Knight in Formation 532 was exhibited in 2006 at Lo...

FREE SHIPPING TO WORLDWIDE! Artisan: Fidel Martinez Martinez Made with Black Clay, hand-modeled technique and cooked in a wood-fired oven. - Dimensions: 4" x 3" in or 10 x 8 cm -...

This vessel is the first of the Unsung Muses series, and it references two compositions by Cezanne in which women are seen bathing, undisturbed by the voyeurism of the artist and/or ...

Rather than being literal reproductions of buildings, Leroy Johnson’s iconic, signature house sculptures are alive with texture and symbolism, celebrating the resilience of communiti...

Lawrence Blazey (American, 1902-1999) Bag of Apples, c. 1950 Ceramic 6 x 14 x 5.5 inches, including base A graduate of the Cleveland School of Art in ...

This new work by Tal Nehoray is from her latest body of works called "Happy Pills". All are hand made with ceramic and hand painted with automotive paint. It is a combination of 2 ce...

TERRACOTTA FIGURINE OF A COMIC ACTOR , Greece, c. 350 B.C. Labeled to the reverse, 'LAWRENCE COLL./LOT 426. SOTHEBY./APR. 1892. P. 816.'; Terracotta height 15.2 cm height 6 in Prove...

“Animals carry strong associations that make them ideal in portraying, sometimes humorously, our basic disposition or nature. Some animals have a long cultural history while others d...

This white, blue, and red miniature paper sculpture titled "OVER IT" is an original artwork by Drew Leshko made of paper, acrylic, inkjet prints, basswood, wire, PVC plastic, pastel,...

This Grey Sea Breeze glossy ceramic balloon sculpture is a balloon for life and an art collectors piece. Its Vivid glossy color enhances sophisticated and cheerful space environment....

“Busto Gacela” by Juan Huerta – Spanish Mid-Century Elegance Busto Gacela is a striking 17-inch-tall sculpture titled Busto Gacela, created by acclaimed Spanish sculptor Juan Huerta....

Created in 1959, Pablo Picasso Arrastro, from Service Scènes de Corrida A.R. 423 is numbered from the edition of 50 on the reverse and stamped with the 'MADOURA PLEIN FEU' and ‘EMPRE...

Robert Kvenild took his BA from the UC Santa Cruz and went on to SF State University for his MA. His whimsical, colorful ceramic pieces have been in many solo and group shows through...

DAVID SHRIGLEY - STINK Date of creation: 2023 Medium: Ceramic Edition: 75 Size: 16.5 x 12 x 12 cm Condition: New, in mint conditions and never displayed Description: Ceramic sculptu...

FREE SHIPPING TO WORLDWIDE! Artisan: Fidel Martinez Martinez MASTERPIECE Made with Black Clay, hand-modeled technique and cooked in a wood-fired oven. - Dimensions: 22" x 18" x ...

PABLO PICASSO Tête de chèvre de profil (A.R. 145), June 5th, 1952 Ed. 250 pcs White earthenware, decoration with engobes under partial glaze with a brush 31.5 x 51.5 cm I 12 3/8n x ...

This masterpiece is exhibited in the Zimmerman Gallery, Carmel CA. Please note: The base is not included. We will guide you through a simple installation process for outdoor or indo...

"Moon" from the famous Series "People", ceramic and acrylic on wood panel, D: 36 inches In Korean culture, the moon is a beacon of hope and wish. Blue Moon i...

Provenance: Private Collection, Spain. This intriguing and enigmatic sculpture depicts the head of a young African man emerging from a circular opening ...

Longtemps, au loin, l’Iran (with Émilien) is a unique smoke-fired stoneware sculpture by French contemporary artist Cécile Raynal, dimensions are 160 × 52 × 45 cm (63 × 20.5 × 17.7 i...

Signed and numbered on the underside. From the series Celebration, Balloon Animals. Produced by Bernardaud in Limoges, France. Sculpture in in mint condition and comes in original bo...

Golf (Wall Plaque) Polychromed ceramic, c. 1930-1 Signed with the artist's initials: VS recto Very rare, only a few produced prior to the closure of Cowan Pottery Format: Round ceramic plate, 11 1/4 inches Designed by the artist while working for Cowan Pottery in 1930. One of Cowan's clients, an interior designer, requested plates decorated with different outdoor activities. Others in the series included "Swimming," "Tennis," "Polo," and "The Hunt." According to Henry Adams, the number of examples created was very limited due to the closing of Cowan Pottery in 1931. Very rare Condition: Good, with the usual craquelure of the glazes used. Note: Industrial design democratizes high style, and Mr. Schreckengost was widely considered among the most democratic industrial designers. He made, quite literally, the stuff of life — things found routinely in homes, backyards and garages in this country and around the world. He designed bicycles for Sears and everyday china for American Limoges...

Mallorca landscape original ceramic sculpture. piece unic born in the town of Estellencs on the island of Mallorca, from his youth he dedicates himself to drawing and watercolor, g...

Information: Born in 1965, Lorenzo is a particularly iconoclastic artist from Nantes. His style is rooted in a revisited, accessible pop art. Lorenzo remains faithful to a pictorial ...

Face, Pablo Picasso, 1950's, Earthenware, Decorative Art, Design, Interior, Ed. 500 pcs 1955 White earthenware clay, decoration in engobe, glaze inside Inscribed and stamped on the...

This masterwork is currently on display at the Zimmerman Gallery in Carmel, CA Please note: The base is not included. We will guide you through a simple installation process for out...

Soleil mural by French ceramist Roland Zobel Roland Zobel, a French ceramist born in 1945 in Fort-de-France, is the son of writer Joseph Zobel. He studied at the Beaux-Arts in Bourge...

The first decades of the 21st century shaped the period of reconfiguration of the "world order", according to Pedro Pablo Gómez1, into three options: "rewesternalization, dewesternal...

Melanie Sherman Cup with Interior II (Hand-Painted, Gold Luster, Stereo, Chair, Flowers) Porcelaneous Stoneware, Underglaze, Glaze, Porcelain Paint, Hand-made Vintage Decals, Gold Lu...

​Interesting Pop Art tile Sculpture plaque by Guillermo Wagner Granizo (American, 1923-1995). A colorful woman with a beehive hairdo is surround by a fe...

Arturo Martini (Treviso 1889 - Milan 1947), La Botola (1930 / 1933) Terracotta sculpture 34 x 42 x 9 cm signed lower left; label of Galleria del Milione, Milan, on back. Provenance...

Entangled bodies, 1942. Terracotta sculpture by Giorgio Rossi (1894-1981). Tuscan Sculptor. Material: Hand-modeled terracotta by the artist. Unique piece. Dimensions: Height 23 c...

Miniature wall sculpture created by Ruth Vidal, currently part of the "Côte à Côte" exhibition at the Vilaño de Camariñas Lighthouse, on the Galician Costa da Morte. The artist focus...

Molly Schulps is an artist and educator living in both California and Oregon. She grew up in Southern California and was deeply influenced by her father who was a successful educator...

This new work by Tal Nehoray is from her latest body of works called "Happy Pills". All are hand made with ceramic and hand painted with automotive paint. It is a combination of 3 ce...

At the edge (with Maurice) is a unique smoke-fired stoneware sculpture by French contemporary artist Cécile Raynal, dimensions are 155 × 128 × 58 cm (61 × 50.4 × 22.8 in). Dimensions...

Louis Oury (1867 - 1940) L’Aiglon, 1899 Terracotta with polychromatic patina Signed on the shoulder and Seal from Goldscheider on the reverse Dimensions : 65 x 40 x 30 cm (25 x 15 3/...

PABLO PICASSO Trois poissons sur fond gris (A.R. 396), April 11th, 1957 Ed. 76/175 pcs Red earthenware clay, decoration in engobes, knife engraved, decorated back D. 41 cm I D. 16 1/...

In this new series of wall plaques, titled "Behind Closed Doors," the artist reimagines original images from a book titled In Praise of the Backside. The book's collection features w...

Women figure. I 2013, porcelain, h 17,5 cm by Ilona Romule, leading sculptor in Latvia ''Women Figure" in porcelain is a small-scale sculpture that emb...

Hand made wall sculpture He is represented by Krause Gallery in NYC Steve Casino resides in Kentucky, but as he quips the small town atmosphere doesn't mean he isn't a world class ...

This new work by Tal Nehoray is from her latest body of works called "Happy Pills". All are hand made with ceramic and hand painted with automotive paint. It is a combination of 2 ce...

This vessel is one of the first from the series of pots Unsung Muses and prioritizes the narrative of Hatshepsut, as she was perhaps the most successful female pharaoh of Egypt. She brought prosperity and peace to Egypt through her work to improve infrastructure and trade routes. Her success was so great that her male successors attempted to erase her from history by literally chiseling her image off the walls and attempting to destroy all statues of her. By honoring her existence in this large vessel, I center the narrative of women’s power...

The three series that make up her thesis show all center around the woman as an art historical trope who becomes a contemporary archetype of tenderness and tenacity with her own narrative. The tradition of the woman as muse or object is questioned and turned upside down as she gives her women the position of subject, i.e., the position of power. The jars, which uphold pairs of women, are the ultimate overturn of male dominance as she removes and replaces all male characters from famous artworks with women...

Kristen Newell (American, b. 1989) Beast of the Apocalypse, 2019 Glazed stoneware, epoxy and acrylic Signed and dated on bottom 24 x 28 x 10 inches Kri...

"People", 2015, Terra-cotta on wood panel, 48" x 48" x 4 inches "People" is comprised of 12,000 handmade pigs. The work has many different topographical features and is visually stri...

The sculpture is signed below. Monika Zadurska-Bielak, Graduated from the studio of Prof. Franciszek Duszeńko at the Faculty of Sculpture of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk (dipl...

Interesante conjunto de 15 figuras en barro policromado del prestigioso ceramista brasileño manuel eudocio (caruaru - pe alto do moura, 1931 - 2016) Se trata de una banda o orquesta...

Inès is a unique smoke-fired stoneware sculpture (pigments, cypress plinth) sculpture by French contemporary artist Cécile Raynal, dimensions are 57 × 14 × 25 cm (22.4 × 5.5 × 9.8 in...

This miniature, white and blue, paper sculpture titled "FAR OUT" is an original artwork by Drew Leshko made of paper, acrylic, inkjet prints, basswood, wire, PVC plastic, pastel, and...

Wolf's Dream is a unique smoke-fired stoneware sculpture sculpture by French contemporary artist Cécile Raynal, dimensions are 180 × 45 × 45 cm (70.9 × 17.7 × 17.7 in). Dimensions in...