Exhibiting his love of experimenting with various art media, this piece is rendered with strong contrast and lyrical figurative elements.  Set on a dark black background, the brilliant white silhouettes of figures in this piece evoke a sense of motion and activity.

Georges Bloch stated of Picasso’s ceramic works, ‘…in approach, material and technique is as novel as it is interesting.  Pottery, gleaming white discs with relief designs, monochrome or brightly coloured ovals, dishes and even jugs and vases here serve as bearers of compositions whose themes express the joyous, life-loving side of Picasso’s work.  They are printed from blocks and stamps fashioned by the master over a period of more than twenty years in the Madoura pottery workshop in Vallauris.” (Bloch 7)

Created in 1956, this convex wall plaque was created with white earthenware clay, engraving accentuated with glaze, and a black patinated ground.  From an edition of 500, this work is stamped ‘Empreinte Originale de Picasso | Madoura Plein Feu’ on the reverse.

Illustrated in:

1. Bloch, G. (1972). Pablo Picasso Catalogue de l’œuvre grave, Tome III 1949 – 1971. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 73 on pg. 64.

2. Ramié, A. (1988). Picasso: Catalogue of the Edited Ceramic Works, 1947 – 1971. Galerie Madoura: Vallauris. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 378 on pg. 196.

3. Ramié, G. (1976). Picasso’s Ceramics. Viking Press: NY. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 745 on pg. 281 (another version illustrated).

4. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.