Ceramics

These Ceramic Dishes by Pablo Picasso, originating from the 1950s, are exceptional pieces of art that offer a glimpse into the mind of one of the greatest artists of the 20th centur...

Pablo Picasso tile 'Little bearded Face' created in 1968 December, 1969 January, red earthenware clay, square sized 17 cm x 17 cm. printed and numbe...

The engraved and brush painted ceramic plate, Visage Gris (Grey Face) is one the most iconic pieces created by Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973) at the Madoura workshop in Vallauris, France. It is said "all portraits are self portraits". In this work, we see Picasso's wistfulness, vulnerability and humor set within a beautiful image representing both the sun and the moon, the masculine and the feminine. Picasso mastery of form, image, composition and subtle color is evident in a work that resonates transcendence. Created in 1953, Pablo Picasso ceramic Visage Gris (Grey Face), 1953 A.R. 206 is a Madoura white earthenware clay, knife engraved under partial brushed glaze with decoration in engobes (green, black, white) from the edition of 500. This work is stamped with the 'Madoura PLEIN FEU' and ‘EMPREINTE ORIGINALE DE PICASSO’ pottery stamps on the reverse. Dimensions: 12 3/8 x 15 1/8 x 1 5/8in (31.4 x 38.3 x 4.1cm). Madoura was an artisan workshop created by Georges and Suzanne Ramie which collaborated with Picasso in the fabrication and hand painting of the works. Pablo Picasso designed 633 different ceramic editions between 1947 and 1971 at the Madoura workshop, with a number of variants and unique pieces resulting from these initial works. He began by creating simple, utilitarian objects such as plates and bowls, but later produced more complex forms, including pitchers and vases — their handles occasionally shaped to form facial features, or anatomical parts of his animal subjects. Picasso remains one of the highest-grossing artists at auction today, and the range of his ceramics means it's possible to find both a good investment and a beautiful object. Visage Gris is among the most important. A Short Biography follows: Pablo Picasso revolutionized the art world and to many is THE artist of the 20th century. He is famous for his role in pioneering Cubism with Georges Braque and for his melancholy Blue Period pieces. Original signed Picasso lithographs and prints are a sure investment. Madoura Picasso ceramics are highly collectible in their own right. As one of the most influential Modern artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso is renowned as a legendary artistic master to this day. Born on October 25, 1881 in Malaga, Spain, Pablo Picasso was a child prodigy who was recognized as such by his art-teacher father, who ably led him along. The small Museo de Picasso in Barcelona is devoted primarily to his early works, which include strikingly realistic renderings of casts of ancient sculpture. Picasso was a rebel from the start and, as a teenager, began to frequent the Barcelona cafes where intellectuals gathered. He soon went to Paris, the capital of art, and soaked up the works of Edouard Manet, Gustave Courbet, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, whose sketchy style impressed him greatly. Then it was back to Spain, a return to France, and again back to Spain – all in the years 1899 to 1904. Before he struck upon Cubism, Picasso went through a prodigious number of styles – realism, caricature, the Blue Period, and the Rose Period. These distinguished styles are apparent in the unique original works as well as Picasso ceramics, lithographs, linocuts, and etchings that he created later in his life. The Blue Period dates from 1901 to 1904 and is characterized by a predominantly blue palette and focuses on outcasts, beggars, and prostitutes. This was when he also produced his first sculptures. The most poignant work of the style, La Vie (1903), currently located in Cleveland’s Museum of Art, was created in memory of his childhood friend, the Spanish poet Carlos Casagemas, who had committed suicide. The painting started as a self-portrait, but Picasso’s features became those of his lost friend. The composition is stilted, the space compressed, the gestures stiff, and the tones predominantly blue. The Rose Period began around 1904 when Picasso’s palette brightened and is dominated by pinks and beiges, light blues, and roses. His subjects are saltimbanques (circus people), harlequins, and clowns, all of whom seem to be mute and strangely inactive. One of the premier works of this period is Family of Saltimbanques (1905), currently in Washington, D.C. at the National Gallery, which portrays a group of circus workers who appear alienated and incapable of communicating with each other, set in a one-dimensional space. In 1905, Picasso went briefly to Holland, and on his return to Paris, his works took on a classical aura with large male and female figures seen frontally or in distinct profile, as in early Greek art. One of the best examples of this style is in the Albright-Knox Gallery in Buffalo, NY, La Toilette (1906). Several pieces in this new, classical style were purchased by Gertrude Stein (the art patron and writer) and her brother, Leo Stein. With his groundbreaking 1907 painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon...

Pablo Picasso Taureau 1957. 22 janvier Plat rond tourné D. 38 cm R.A terre de faience rouge, décor à l'engobe, gravé au couteau, couverte partielle au pinceau Noir Tiré à 250 exemp...

Pablo PICASSO (1881-1973) Quatre danseurs, 1956. Plaque murale convexe. Épreuve originale en faïence blanche à décor fond noir, tirée à 450 exemplaires Cachet "Empreinte Originale de...

White earthenware ceramic plaque with black engobe and white glaze. Stamped 'Empreinte Originale de Picasso / Madoura Plein Feu' (on the reverse).  

A stylish Vase au Bouquet (A.R. 303) ceramic limited-edition dish decorated with a vase containing a flower by Pablo Picasso (Spanish, 1881-1974) and dated 22nd January 1956. The squ...

Corrida sur fond noir ceramic plate by Pablo Picasso dated "25.9.53" stamped and marked "Madoura Plein Feu/Edition Picasso/D'Apres Picasso" (unde...

This Picasso ceramic plate "Tête de chèvre de profil' Ramié 110 is one in a small edition of only 60 and is glazed and painted, with the Empre...

White earthenware ceramic plate with black engobe and white glaze. Stamped 'Madoura Plein Feu/Empreinte Originale de Picasso' (underneath). (A.R. 380)

White earthenware ceramic plate, partially engraved, with colored engobe and glaze. Dated '1.8.57.' (lower center); stamped and marked 'Madoura Plein Feu / Edition Picasso / Madoura...

White earthenware ceramic plate, partially engraved, with colored engobe and glaze. Stamped, marked, and numbered 'Edition Picasso / Madoura Plein Feu / I 107/ 20 / 200' (underneath...

White earthenware ceramic plate with white engobe. Stamped, marked and numbered 'Madoura Plein Feu / Empreinte Originale de Picasso / C 106/31/100' (underneath). (A.R. 327).

White earthenware ceramic plate with white engobe. Dated '28.6.55.' (upper right); stamped 'Madoura Plein Feu / Empreinte Originale de Picasso' (underneath). (A.R. 283).

White earthenware ceramic pitcher with colored engobe and glaze. Stamped ‘Madoura Plein Feu/EditionPicasso’ (underneath). (A.R. 288)

White earthenware ceramic plate with colored engobe and glaze. Marked and numbered 'No 83 / Edition Picasso / 30/ 200 / Madoura' (underneath). (A.R. 483).

White earthenware ceramic plate with black engobe and glaze. Dated '22.12.52.' (in reverse; lower right); stamped, inscribed and numbered 'Madoura Plein Feu / Empreinte Originale de...

White earthenware ceramic plaque with black oxide and white glaze. Stamped 'Madoura Plein Feu / Empreinte Originale de Picasso' (on the reverse). (A.R. 375).  

White earthenware ceramic plate, partially engraved, with colored engobe and glaze. Dated '25.9.53.' (upper center); stamped 'Madoura Plein Feu / Edition Picasso' (underneath). (A....

White earthenware ceramic plaque with black oxide and white glaze. Stamped 'Madoura Plein Feu/Empreinte Originale de Picasso' (on the reverse). (A.R. 377).

White earthenware ceramic vessel with colored engobe and glaze. Stamped, marked, and numbered 'Edition Picasso / Madoura Plein Feu / Edition Picasso / Madoura / 139 / 200' (undernea...

A stylish Arrastro (A.R. 431) terre de faience limited edition dish from a bull fight series and portraying the bull being towed from the arena by dress horses by Pablo Picasso and d...

A stylish Vallauris (A.R. 330) terre de faience limited edition plate portraying three faces by Pablo Picasso and dated 1956. The rounded plate i...

Pablo Picasso Tormented face. Ceramic plate 1956. Large unglazed light earthenware charger with raised design from the “Tormented Face” series . Produced by Madoura in 1956. Numbered...

Black face service plate, glazed white earthenware, painted in colors; white, orange, and deep greys. Made in 1948, from an edition of 100, inscribed 'EDITION PICASSO' and 'B', with ...

Crafted by one of America's finest Arts and Crafts potteries long after the era was over, this charger, glazed in a lovely, deep forest green, was made by Pewabic Pottery in Detroit for an annual holiday event hosted by the Detroit Institute of Arts...