Pablo Picasso Big vase with veiled women, 1950

In 1950, at the Madoura pottery studio in Vallauris, Pablo Picasso Big Vase with Veiled Women was created, a commanding ceramic masterpiece that fuses mystery, sensuality, and the enduring influence of antiquity. The vessel’s broad, rounded form becomes a sculptural stage for a procession of enigmatic female figures, their faces and hair partially obscured by flowing veils that ripple softly along the curvature of the clay. Rendered in Picasso’s confident, sinuous line, the women exude both dignity and allure, their graceful postures suggesting an ancient ceremonial or processional ritual. The veils, delicately integrated into the figures’ outlines, create a rhythmic interplay between concealment and revelation—an elegant metaphor for the balance of intimacy and distance in the portrayal of women across art history. Earthy terracotta hues are enlivened with subtle glazes, the matte and gloss surfaces alternating to give the impression of light passing over fabric and skin. With its harmonious marriage of form and imagery, the Big Vase with Veiled Women bridges the monumental solemnity of classical vessels and the modernist impulse toward abstraction and personal symbolism, transforming a functional object into a timeless evocation of grace, secrecy, and feminine power.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
Pablo Picasso Big vase with veiled women, 1950 is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices accompanying the final sale of the work):

1. Ramié, Alain. Picasso Catalogue of the edited ceramic works 1947-1971. Madoura: Galerie Madoura, 1988. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 117.
2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.