Pablo Picasso, White Ground Fish, 1952

Artist: Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973)
Title:White Ground Fish, 1952
Reference:Ramié 168
Medium:Original Madoura ceramic oval dish of white earthenware clay with decoration in oxides on white enamel
Image Size:16 1/2 in x 13 1/2 in (42 cm x 34.3 cm)
Framed Size:27 in x 24 in (68.6 cm x 61 cm)
Edition:Numbered from the edition of 100.
Signature:This work is stamped with the 'MADOURA PLEIN FEU' and 'EMPREINTE ORIGINALE DE PICASSO' pottery stamps and signed “Edition Picasso Madoura” on the reverse.
Condition:This work is in excellent condition.
ID #w-8500

Historical Description

Picasso utilizes vibrant yellows, blues, and greens to depict this aquatic subject. A tropical fish swims against a stark white background. The outline of the fish is raised from the surface of the plate and then decorated with color, causing the image to pop out at the viewer. The ovular shape of the dish perfectly accentuates the fish's ovular body, which fits neatly in the center as the main subject of the piece. Picasso colors the fish with sporadic dots rather than solid lines, contributing a sense of texture to the work. A glossy glaze adds a further sense of texture and toys with the light, causing the fish to shimmer when viewed from varied angles.

Created in 1952, this original Madoura ceramic oval dish is made of white earthenware clay with decoration in oxides on white enamel. Numbered from the total edition of 200, Pablo Picasso White Ground Fish, 1952 is stamped with 'Madoura Plein Feu' and 'Empreinte Originale de Picasso' stamps and inscribed with “Edition Picasso Madoura” on the reverse.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:
Pablo Picasso White Ground Fish, 1952 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. 168.

About the Framing:
Framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, Pablo Picasso White Ground Fish, 1952 is presented in a complementary moulding with silk mats and a window on the verso.