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 Quadrille Wall Mirror, Kiln-Fired Gold Rare Early Mirror
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
A rare and highly refined mirror by Mithé Espelt, this exceptional “Quadrille” model embodies the discreet luxury and poetic modernism that define her work. Created in the early 1950...
Gold
Mid-Century Grand Miroir Soleil Vert, Vintage Decorative Mirror, France
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
This rare “Soleil” mirror by French artist Mithé Espelt (1923–2020) exemplifies the refined craftsmanship and poetic sensibility that define her work. Created in the 1980s after an o...
Gold
$3,232
Mirror Polynesia
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
Mirror Polynesia Ceramic, 1998 Catalog : Antoine Candau, p. 190 H x W x D : 29.50 cm. x 26.00 cm. x 2.00 cm. 11.61 in. x 10.24 in. x 0.79 in. Very good condition A mirror made of...
Ceramic, Mirror
Round gilt and glazed ceramic mirror by Mithé Espelt, circa 1970
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, Ile-de-France
Ceramic framed round mirror. Embossed and glazed earthenware: Gilt frame with crackled finish, partly covered with bird, grapes and leaves decoration glazed in shades of pink, w...
Ceramic, Mirror
Mithé Espelt - "Orchidées" mirror, ceramic, gold and crystallized glass
By Mithé Espelt
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
ORCHIDÉES Embossed and glazed earthenware,crackled gold and crystallized glass. France, circa 1960. Diameter : 26 cm.
Gold
$1,077
Mirror
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
To embellish women's everyday lives, the French ceramist imagines rare objects such as this small-format mirror, ideal for carrying in your handbag. A red ceramic pearl hangs from th...
Ceramic, Mirror
Mithé Espelt - "Millefleurs" mirror, glazed ceramic, gold
By Mithé Espelt
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Mithé Espelt (1923-2020) "Millefleurs" mirror. France, c. 1965 Enameled and glazed ceramic and gold. Diameter : 26,5 cm. Bibliography : Antoine Candau, Mithé Espelt, the discreet lux...
Gold
$2,873
Mirror "Cage", 1960's
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
This mirror is imbued with the elegance and preciousness of Mithé Espelt's work. It features a pattern of birds and flowers enamelled in olive and brown, with a glaze that enhances...
Ceramic, Mirror
Mithé Espelt - "Fleurs" mirror, enameled ceramic, gold, circa 1967
By Mithé Espelt
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Mithé Espelt (1923-2020) "Fleurs" mirror. France, c. 1967 Enameled and glazed ceramic and gold. Diameter : 30 cm. Bibliography : Antoine Candau, Mithé Espelt, the discreet luxury of ...
Gold
Mithé Espelt - "Fleurs" mirror, ceramic and gold, france, 1967
By Mithé Espelt
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Mithé Espelt (1923-2020) "Fleurs" mirror. France, c. 1967 Enameled and glazed ceramic and gold. Diameter : 30 cm. Bibliography : Antoine Candau, Mithé Espelt, the discreet luxury of ...
Gold
Mithé Espelt - "Fleurs" mirror, ceramic and gold, france, c.1967
By Mithé Espelt
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Mithé Espelt (1923-2020) "Fleurs" mirror. France, c. 1967 Enameled and glazed ceramic and gold. Diameter : 3à cm. Bibliography : Antoine Candau, Mithé Espelt, the discreet luxury of ...
Gold
$2,633
Square Mirror
By Mithé Espelt
Located in Paris, FR
A singular object, faithful to the artist's sunny, luxurious universe. Mithé Espelt creates the border of this mirror in stamped and enameled clay. The beautifully glazed enamels fea...
Ceramic, Mirror