Tripod Vase
Artist
Pablo Picasso
Málaga, Spain, 1881 – Mougins, France, 1973
Title
Tripod Vase
Date
1951 (example about 1952)
Materials
Glazed earthenware, painted decoration
Dimensions
72.7 x 26.7 x 29.5 cm
Publisher
Produced by Poterie Madoura, Vallauris, France
Credits
Liliane and David M. Stewart Collection, inv. D96.109.1
Collection
Decorative Arts and Design
Over the centuries, the head has lent its shape to all sorts of objects, but no artist has been more inspired than Picasso in imagining it in ceramic form. This tripod vase is a wonderful example of his work at the Madoura studio in Vallauris. Created in 1950 by ceramicist Suzanne Ramié, co-founder of the studio, this generously curved tripod vase possibly makes reference to the Cypriot pottery from 2300-2000 B.C. known as “red polished ware” that features incised or relief designs of human or animal figures. Picasso painted its decoration the following year. While Suzanne Ramié opted for white in order to tone down the anthropomorphic appearance of the piece, Picasso chose to emphasize it by giving it the look of a woman leaning on her elbows and holding her head in her hands. The vase was produced in an edition of seventy-five.
© Estate of Picasso / SOCAN (2021)
