Pablo Picasso

Alain Ramié, Picasso : Catalogue de l'œuvre céramique édité 1947-1971, Vallauris, 1988, no. 114, un autre exemplaire reproduit p. 63

Please note that this work is inscribed with the date ‘24 juin 1950’. This work is slightly dirtier than its counterpart. There is evidence of some general time-staining, notably to the white painted sections of the vase, as well as minor lines of scuffing and very superficial nicks to the surface of the clay, notably to the knee of the seated instrument player and the foot of the man in a hand-stand. This work is in good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

stamped 'Madoura Plein Feu' and 'Empreinte originale de Picasso' and numbered '18' (inside), pansu vase with long neck; red earthenware clay, painted with a white slip. Conceived in 1950 and cast in a numbered edition of 25.

C'est lors de son emménagement à Vallauris avec Françoise Gilot en 1948, que Picasso exécute une série de 25 Grand Vase aux Danseurs. La tradition potière de Vallauris remonte à l'époque gallo-romaine mais l'étonnante production céramique réalisée par Picasso à l'atelier Madoura révélera l'importance de ce centre de poterie au cours du XXe siècle. Ce cadre a en effet permis à Picasso d'explorer les réels potentiels du travail de l'argile. En authentique maître potier, Picasso  n'appréhende pas comme une toile les formes courbées de ses vases, remplaçant l'huile par le vernis, au contraire, l'artiste se passionne pour les qualités intrinsèques de l'argile et appréhende ses créations comme des objets tridimensionnels.

La forme arrondie du vase n'est pas seulement limitée à la vision d'une surface uniforme,  elle dévoile des danseurs immortalisés dans des positions variées. Picasso n'échappe pas à l'analogie entre la beauté féminine et les vases antiques bien établie dans l'art Occidental depuis la Renaissance. Il peint délibérément dans des tonalités qui rappellent les décorations antiques; et les courbes des figures dansant, leur taille et leurs cuisses épousent parfaitement la courbe du ventre de ses amphores.

 

Picasso's series of 25 Grand Vase aux Danseurs was executed shortly after the artist moved to Vallauris with Françoise Gilot in 1948. A sleepy town which had been a traditional pottery centre of some importance since Roman, and possibly Greek, times, Picasso's surroundings provided him with the opportunity to explore the full potential of working in clay. Rather than treating these curved forms as merely substitute canvases on which to paint with glazes instead of oils, Picasso respected the inherent qualities of the clay and approached his works as truly three-dimensional objects.

The rounded form of the vase is not limited to the instantaneous vision of a flat surface, it lends itself to additional readings of illusion and reality, to a concern with a fourth dimension; the possibility of a continuous narrative where mythological figures may chase each other in an eternal circle from one side of a pot to the other. The analogy between feminine beauty and Antique vases, well established in the history of Western art since the renaissance, would not have escaped Picasso and, painted in colours that deliberately recall Antique decoration, the curves of his dancing figures' hips and thighs in the present works are repeated in the curve of the belly of the amphora.