Marie-Thérèse Espelt, known better as Mithé Espelt, was a dominant force in mid-20th-century ceramics in France. Mithé is remembered for her modern ceramic wall mirrors, gilded and enameled ashtrays and other ornate objects and boxes, often featuring birds and lively colors. She preferred not to sign her pieces and, as a consequence, much of her work has been misattributed, including to French ceramist François Lembo.
Mithé grew up in the Camargue region of France. Her father’s extensive network included 1904 Nobel Prize winner Frédéric Mistral and Parisian painter and decorator Jean Hugo. Mithé’s early introduction to a community of artists inspired her to study sculpture and drawing at the Beaux-Arts School in Montpellier in 1939.
Mithé’s early work caught the attention of French ceramist Emilie Decanis and jewelry distributor Charles Démery. Mithé set up a ceramics workshop in the Hôtel de Bernis in Lunel, where she quickly garnered a reputation for her ceramic work and accessories, including mirrors, jewelry boxes and buttons. Démery founded the Souleiado boutique, which began distributing Mithé’s work, thus attracting a worldwide audience.
French author Antoine Candau wrote a retrospective book on Mithé’s career titled Mithé Espelt, the Discreet Luxury of the Every Day, which contributed to bringing her legacy to the forefront while shedding light on her anonymity. While Mithé was respected within her inner circle, the general public is only now beginning to understand the immense talent behind her over five-decade-long career.
Find Mithé Espelt mirrors, decorative objects, wall decorations and more for sale on 1stDibs.
Mithé Espelt Ceramic Jewelry Box, Mid-Century Modern, France, 1950s
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Saint-Amans-des-Cots, FR
Mid-Century Ceramic Jewelry Box by Mithé Espelt — Lunel, France, 1950s. A stunning mid-century ceramic jewelry box crafted by renowned French artist Mithé Espelt in Lunel, France, d...
Ceramic, Wood
Round " Perou" ceramic lead box by Mithé Espelt circa 1950.
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, Ile-de-France
Round ceramic-lid jewel box, model " Pérou" by Mithé Espelt. Embossed and crackled gold glazed earthenware with 21 crystallized glass inclusions in shades of amber, yellow and white...
Earthenware, Felt, Glass, Fruitwood
$2,154Sale Price|20% Off
Vintage French Jewellery Box with Enamel Lid and Toucan Motif by Mithé Espelt
By Mithé Espelt
Located in London, GB
Decorative jewellery box with enamel lid and toucan bird motif by Mithé Espelt (circa 1960s). Stylised toucan and lemon with vibrant colours crown this otherwise simple but elegant j...
Enamel
$1,971
Box Bird bronze
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
Box Bird bronze Ceramic H x W x D : 27.00 cm. x 10.00 cm. x 6.50 cm. 10.63 in. x 3.94 in. x 2.56 in. Good condition This elongated box is topped by a stamped earthenware lid decor...
Gold Leaf
$2,087
Colombes
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
Colombes Ceramic H x W x D : 6.50 cm. x 26.50 cm. x 9.50 cm. 2.56 in. x 10.43 in. x 3.74 in. Very good condition This wooden box is topped by a stamped earthenware lid decorated wi...
Gold Leaf
$1,739
Flowers Jewellery box
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
Glazed ceramic jewellery box with flowers and blackened wooden base. This beautiful jewelry box is topped with a stamped earthenware lid and decorated with a floral enamel motif fea...
Ceramic, Wood
$1,739
Box Birds
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
This wooden box is topped by a stamped earthenware lid decorated with bluish, green and white polychrome enamels. For Mithé Espelt, the object is an essential element of the boudoir....
Ceramic, Wood
Mithe Espelt Ceramic and Fused Glass Jewelry Box France c 1968
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Chicago, IL
Ceramic Jewelry Box by Mithé Espelt, France, 1960s Ceramic enamels in shades of green gold with fused glass with iconic blackened wood box. Literature: Mithé Espelt, le luxe discret...
Ceramic
A square ceramic box, by Mithé Espelt. France, 1970
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, Ile-de-France
Square ceramic lid box, model " Jupiter" by Mithé Espelt Embossed and glazed earthenware in green and crackle gold. Black painted wood box, Green felt lining. Including 23 patche...
Ceramic, Felt, Glass, Wood
Mithé Espelt Square Ceramic Box
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Saint-Ouen, IDF
Decorative square box by Mithé Espelt, stained wood box covered with a ceramic lid showing a single white and blue flower framed with gold glaze....
Ceramic
Black Box Bird Duck Mosaic
By The Couroc Company
Located in New York, NY
A black resin rectangular box with mosaic inlaid mallard duck bird on pond with cattail plant flower; all inlaying was done by hand with natural materials...
Brass
Odette Dijeux Mid-Century Signed Ceramic Box, circa 1950, Belgium
By Odette Dijeux
Located in Brussels, BE
Nice Odette Dijeux mid-century decorative box, circa 1950, Belgium. White and brown enameled ceramic. Signed underneath Odette Dijeux . Each piece of this artist is unique and po...
Ceramic
Jewelry Box Brass Swan Bird Red Lacquer
Located in New York, NY
A '70 modern red lacquer or high-gloss 'demi-lune' box with inlayed brass swan bird design, circa 1970s. A chic decorative box for jewelry (as demonstrated)...
Brass
Highclere Castle Jewellery Box
By LINLEY London
Located in London, GB
Over the years, British design company Linley has developed expertise in creating scaled versions of famous architectural buildings including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Opera House. In this instance, Highclere Castle...
Maple
19th Century Rosewood Dressing/Jewellery Box
Located in Chelmsford, Essex
Victorian Rosewood Dressing table box with Mother of pearl car-touché to the centre of the lid, the lid does have age related shrinkage. To the inside of the lid it has a blue velvet...
Rosewood
Antique Victorian Quality Rosewood Jewellery Box
Located in Suffolk, GB
Antique Victorian quality rosewood jewellery box having a quality rosewood lift up lid opening to reveal a fitted blue velvet interior and a storage compartment with beautiful origin...
Rosewood
French Antique Ormolu and Limoges Enamel Jewellery Box
By Limoges
Located in Newark, England
LIMOGES ENAMEL PANELS From our Decorative collection, we are delighted to offer this French Napoleon III Ormolu and Enamel Jewellery Box. The Jewellery...
Enamel, Ormolu
Limoges Paris Round Rose & Gold Vintage Trinket Box
By Limoges
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A hand painted Limoges porcelain trinket box, France, circa 1970-1980. The round box is braced with a metal frame featuring a floral clasp. Decorated with a pink rose and gilded scr...
Metal
$582
H 31.5 in W 51.19 in D 12.6 in
Large Mid-Century Modern Oak Sewing Box on Wheels, Netherlands, 1950s
Located in Den Haag, NL
Large Solid Oak wood sewing box ,on wheels . opened with two hinged doors on the top, while the accordion style (with layered shelves that used external hinges to store more stuff in...
Oak
Ceramic Jewelry Box by Mithé Espelt, France, 1960s
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
Ceramic jewelry box by Mithé Espelt, France, 1960s Stamped clay, enamels in shades of green, gold, blackened wood box Date of creation: around 1955-1960 Bibliography: " Mithé Espelt,...
Ceramic
Sold
H 2.76 in W 5.79 in D 4.06 in
Jewellery Box with Decorative Ceramic Lid by Mithé Espelt (circa 1960s)
By Mithé Espelt
Located in London, GB
Jewellery box with decorative ceramic lid by Mithé Espelt (circa 1960s). A series of yellow and green imperfect circles appear on the cover of the box like stepping stones in a garde...
Ceramic
Ceramic Jewelry Box by Mithé Espelt, France, 1960s
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
Ceramic jewelry box by Mithé Espelt, France, 1960s Stamped clay, enamels in shades of green, gold, blackened wood box Date of creation: around 1955-1960 Bibliography: " Mithé Espelt,...
Ceramic
Trésor
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
Trésor Ceramic, 1953 Catalog : [Candau p.75] H x W x D : 7.50 cm. x 10.00 cm. x 14.50 cm. 2.95 in. x 3.94 in. x 5.71 in. Stamped clay with geometric patterns, enamels and gold ...
Gold Leaf
Jewelry box “Owl”
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
Rectangular jewelry box “Owl”, ceramic lid with polychrome enamels highlighted with gold on a crackled background. Original green felt lining. On this box, Mithé Espelt makes gold a...
Ceramic, Wood
Ceramic Jewelry Box by Mithé Espelt, France, 1960s
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
Ceramic jewelry box by Mithé Espelt, France, 1960s Stamped clay, enamels in shades of green, gold, blackened wood box Date of creation: around 1955-1960 Bibliography: " Mithé Espelt,...
Ceramic
Ceramic Jewelry Box by Mithé Espelt, France, 1960s
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
Ceramic jewelry box by Mithé Espelt, France, 1960s Stamped clay, enamels in shades of green, gold, blackened wood box Date of creation: around 1955-1960 Bibliography: " Mithé Espelt,...
Ceramic
The Two Doves and the Branch
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
Radiance in a corner This wooden box is topped by a stamped earthenware lid decorated with orange and scarlet polychrome enamels. For Mithé Espelt, the object is an essential elemen...
Ceramic, Wood
Sunflower Jewelry Box
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
Slight enamel skip on one corner This wooden box is topped by a stamped earthenware lid adorned with burgundy enamel and a golden sunflower, offering a precious warm and luminous ha...
Gold Leaf
Box Bird bronze
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
This elongated box is topped by a stamped earthenware lid decorated with gold enamel. For Mithé Espelt, the object is an essential element of the boudoir. It is both useful and an od...
Gold Leaf
Ceramic Jewelry Box by Mithé Espelt, France, 1960s
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
Ceramic jewelry box by Mithé Espelt, France, 1960s Stamped clay, enamels in shades of green, gold, blackened wood box Date of creation: around 1955-1960 Bibliography: " Mithé Espelt,...
Ceramic
Sold
H 2.17 in Dm 2.37 in
Set of Vintage Jewellery Holders with Decorative Ceramic Lids by Mithé Espelt
By Mithé Espelt
Located in London, GB
Vintage French jewellery containers with decorative ceramic lids by Mithé Espelt (circa 1970s). Flower and Bird motifs decorate these five delightful, diminutive wooden boxes. Two of the ceramic lids have golden craqueleur boundaries encircling the inner decoration. The containers would be an attractive grouping on the surface of a vanity or dressing table. Alternatively, they might simply be suitable as a splendid decorative display in the home. The pieces are in good overall condition with some minor natural differences in the colour of the woods. The overall charm is undeniable and they are real collector's items. Please enjoy the many photos accompanying the listing. Upon request, a video will be provided. About the artist: Born in 1923 in Lunel, in the South of France, Mithé Espelt grew up in a family of affluent winegrowers and was very close to her grandfather who passed on his love for the arts and brought her into contact with major intellectuals and artists of the time. She rubbed shoulders with Jean Hugo, Jean Cocteau, Pablo Picasso, Christian Bérard and many others. She graduated from the Beaux-Arts school in Montpellier in 1942, and then studied at the Fontcarrade school where she took a special interest in ceramics. She began by designing buttons for fashion houses in Paris, before managing the entire production of buttons and jewellery at the Lydia Chartier workshop and collaborating with Line Vautrin, amongst others. At the end of the war, she returned to her native south, opened her studio and took advantage of the growing excitement around ceramics, particularly those from the town of Vallauris. To stand out and sustain the workshop business, she started designing gilded jewellery...
Ceramic, Wood