Created on December 9, 1953, this white earthenware clay dish is decorated in engobe with knife engravings under partial brushed glaze.  It is numbered and annotated on the reverse in black ink, ‘87/200 | Edition Picasso’ and dated along the lower rim on the face of the plate.  This work also features the inscribed stamps: ‘Empreinte Originale de Picasso’ and ‘Madoura Plein Feu’ on the reverse.  This work remains one of Picasso’s few ceramics in which he creates a nighttime landscape scene against a muted, black background.  This enables its color and texture details to be enhanced even further, allowing it to sparkle and shine as if lit under a nighttime sky.  Despite being a twilight scene, this piece remains one of his most colorful, with blue, green, yellow, and white brushed glaze that makes up a charming scene of a house and farmscape.  Nestled under the quiet of the crescent moon, Picasso borders the entirety of the scene with bold, blue stars that decorate the rim of the dish.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
It is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the final sale of the work): 1.    The Online Picasso Project, Texas A&M University. Dr. Enrique Mallen, 2008. http://picasso.csdl.tamu.edu/picasso/. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. OPP.53:026.
2.    Ramié, Alain. Picasso Catalogue of the edited ceramic works 1947-1971, Madoura, 1988. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 208 on pg. 112.
3.    Ramié, Georges. Picasso’s Ceramics, Viking Press: New York, 1976. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 733 on pg. 280.

About the Framing:

This resplendent custom frame is the perfect elegant compliment to this remarkable work. Framing begins with linen wrapped wooden liners that securely hold the ceramic and allow visibility in the back (to view markings). A contemporary and elegant varnished gold leaf frame encases the wood liners. The delicate coloration of the wood moulding perfectly compliments the gentle texture and color within the terracotta. A heavy weight picture wire is attached to the frame to ensure a secure hanging. Due to the size and weight of this piece, we recommend using a heavy duty double nail hook with 100-150 pound weight capacity (double the weight of the piece to determine hook capacity).