Masque (Mask)

Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973, Spain/France) “Mask” (1956) Limited edition white earthenware clay tile painted in colors and partial brushed enamel glaze; with white slip engobe applied to the pottery for enhanced surface texture and decoration and oxidized paraffin color decoration in black, blue and green. Inscribed and numbered on the reverse: “K 125, Edition Picasso, 115/250, Madoura”. The tile measures 20 x 20 cm (7.875 x 7.875 inches) and its literary reference is A.R. 311 (Picasso : Catalogue of the Edited Ceramic Works 1947-1971, by Alain Ramié, Editions Madoura, 1988, illustrated under no.311, p.159. The tile is surrounded by a white linen mat, gold fillet, another wider white linen mat, and encased in a substantial 20.125 x 20.125 x 5-inch elegant gold frame with a small gold plaque that reads ‘Pablo Picasso 1881 – 1973” affixed to the lower center of the outer white linen mat.

After Picasso attended a pottery exhibition in the Cote d’Azur region of Vallauris, France, he began working with Georges and Suzanne Ramie, owners and ceramists of the Madoura Pottery Studio. There he created plates, pitchers, plaques, and vases that feature mythological and classical motifs, portraiture, bullfighting, nature, and landscapes as both unique pieces and limited-edition sets. Each work was cast and hand-painted at the Madoura Studio.