Mid-century Decorative Ceramic Bowl by Albert Thiry (circa 1970s)

French vintage decorative ceramic bowl by Albert Thiry (Small). This small Thiry bowl is one made with chamotte clay — fired with grog to give it that characteristic rough, open texture. It has been glazed in a deep, slightly uneven blue-violet, pooling darker toward the centre and feathering outward to the rim with a quality that no two firings would replicate exactly. Against the dark inner ground, a wheel of raised white forms radiates from centre: biomorphic leaf-shapes, each subtly different from its neighbour, each bearing small incised details — a line of hatch marks, a pair of dots — that give them the look of seeds, or caterpillars, or ancient writing. The wide flat rim is edged with a row of short raised dashes, notched at intervals, pressed out by thumb and tool. The outer body is glazed in a milky white; the underside is rough and organic, the raw chamotte revealing its texture as it is.

It is not a perfect object. The blue glaze runs unevenly. The raised decoration is handmade, and it shows — no two elements are identical, the handmade forms tilt and vary rather than the perfect regularity of a mould. This is precisely what makes it characterful. The mark of the maker — the fingerprint, the wobble, the improvised decision — is not a flaw to be corrected but the point of a handmade piece such as this one. It is in good overall condition. Please enjoy the many photos accompanying this listing. Upon request a video will be provided. This Thiry piece is unsigned. 

Dimensions:

H 4.5 cm / 1.8"

Dia 18 cm / 7.1"

About the Artist: Albert Thiry (1932–2009) was born in Nice and settled with his family in Vallauris in 1943, where he trained in pottery workshops after returning from military service in Algeria. He joined the celebrated Tapis Vert workshop run by Claire and René Batigne. He established his own studio in 1962 alongside his wife, the decorator and modelmaker Pyot Gavaudan. Together they developed a highly distinctive technique of intaglio engraving and relief decoration in chamotte clay, producing work that ranged from tableware and lighting to sculptural figures and animals. Thiry exhibited at the Vallauris Biennials from 1966 to 1974. His work is documented in the major reference texts on post-war French decorative arts.