Mid-Century French Ceramic Virgin and Child Wall Decoration by Les Argonautes (circa 1960s)
SKU 0817
French Ceramic Virgin and Child Wall Decoration by Les Argonautes (circa 1960s). A refreshingly naive ceramic piece depicting the Virgin holding her Child, both adorned with stylised halos. The Virgin's garment consists of squares of enamel in blue, white, yellow and green. The Child's covering is a simple enamelled green but with a full, elaborate collar reminiscent of those worn by children of royalty. This stoneware piece is weighty and substantial and may be hung on the wall or simply allowed to lean against a vertical surface. There's no doubt it is a charming piece by a renown pair of French ceramicists who created the 'Les Argonautes' pottery studio. This piece is signed on the backside: 'Les Argonautes'.
About the Artists: Isabelle Ferlay (Born 1917) and Frédérique Bourguet (1925 - 1997) set up a pottery studio together in Vallauris in the South of France which they named 'Les Argonautes'. Using the local Vallauris red-clay with grog, at first they produced small-scale household objects and tableware, then they tackled new forms, large vases and zoomorphic sculptures, often inspired by exotic birds. The glazes, mostly in muted colours, are laid on in a very simple manner to emphasise the form and the quality of the modeling. ('La Céramique française des années 50' by Pierre Staudenmeyer)
Dimensions:
H 34 cm / 13.4"
W 13 cm / 5.1"
D 2 cm / .8"