White earthenware, slip-coated base engraved with a knife beneath the glaze. (Black, russet, white).
In Vallauris, Picasso reinvented contemporary ceramics. It was in this town that Picasso discovered ceramics in 1947, following a meeting with Suzanne Ramié, the owner of the Madoura studio. From that point onwards, Picasso began a long collaboration with Madoura, which became the exclusive publisher of Picasso’s ceramic works – a collaboration that produced nearly 633 original designs. Through ceramics, Picasso rediscovered the almost childlike joy of creation in the immediate post-war period, giving rise to sun-drenched subjects inspired by Mediterranean culture: fauns and musicians, bullfights and doves. Picasso combined form and function, transforming everyday objects into anthropomorphic figures.