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Jewellery Box with Decorative Ceramic Lid by Mithé Espelt (circa 1960s)
$2,903.77
£2,100
€2,481.07
CA$4,008.17
A$4,453.52
CHF 2,341.04
MX$54,360.06
NOK 29,599.07
SEK 27,749.80
DKK 18,516.90
About the Item
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 garden. Interspersed amongst them are smaller golden studs adding symmetry to the imperfection of the ceramic tiles. In the decorative surround of the box you will find a subtle craquelure in the glaze frame, Espelt's trademark. The lid, weighty and substantial, tops a dark-painted wooden box - much lighter than the lid - with protective felt base at the bottom. The piece is in good overall condition. The lower box has characterful blemishing attesting to its age and usage. The overall charm is undeniable. The work, like all of her pieces, is unsigned. Upon request a video will be provided.
Dimensions:
H 7 cm / 2.8"
W 14.7 cm / 5.8"
D 10.3 cm / 4.1"
About the artist: Born in Lunel in the South of France, Mithé Espelt (1923-2020) 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, a touch of luxury in which her creativity, the colours she used and her originality in workmanship ensured her success. A very feminine aesthetic was the hallmark of her many beautiful objects designed for the boudoir: jewel-encrusted wall mirrors, elegant hand mirrors and beguiling jewellery boxes among other things. These highly collectable pieces all featuring her signature gold crackle are considered works of art today. These works do not generally bear any signature. As a result, her opulent objects have long been misattributed to Vallauris ceramicist François Lembo. Since this confusion was clarified and a book with her works was published, Mithé Espelt's objects have skyrocketed in price. Not signing her pieces was a way of shunning recognition and fame. Her work has been the subject of significant attention recently thanks to Antoine Candau’s book, “Mithé Espelt, the Discreet Luxury of the Everyday,” which reveals their artistic significance and is becoming a mandatory guide to mid-century French ceramics. A retrospective of her work was held in Autumn, 2020 in Paris. In addition, 'The World of Interiors' magazine dedicated several pages to her works in their April 2021 edition.
- Creator:Mithé Espelt (Artist)
- Dimensions:Height: 2.76 in (7 cm)Width: 5.79 in (14.7 cm)Depth: 4.06 in (10.3 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:circa 1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:London, GB
- Reference Number:Seller: 25211stDibs: LU2811346175692
Mithé Espelt
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.
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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.
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