French Terracotta Sun Wall Sculpture by Roland Zobel, 1970s

Created by French ceramicist Roland Zobel in the 1970s, this glazed terracotta wall sculpture depicts a stylized sun rendered in rich color and relief.

Zobel built the composition from individually modeled geometric forms, with openings cut through the clay and dark outlines tracing each element. Layers of rust, ochre, cream, brown, red, and metallic glaze give the surface remarkable depth.

Heavy-lidded eyes sit beneath a crown of pointed forms, while the elongated nose, small pursed mouth, and radiating shapes around the perimeter give the face an almost mythological character. The alternating glazed and textured passages make the piece feel different from every angle, particularly where the open sections reveal the wall behind it.

Made at Zobel’s Les Cyclades studio near Anduze in the South of France, the sculpture is inscribed on the reverse “Les Cyclades, Pièce Unique, 30 Anduze." The designation pièce unique, or “unique piece,” feels especially fitting for an object where the artist’s hand is visible throughout.

At roughly 15 inches across, its scale makes it easy to hang on its own or incorporate into a larger grouping of art and objects.

Roland Zobel was a French ceramicist who studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Bourges before specializing in ceramics at the International School of Ceramics in Faenza, Italy. He later settled near Anduze in southern France, a region with a centuries-old pottery tradition, where he established his workshop, Les Cyclades.

Zobel became known for his expressive glazed terracotta, particularly his mirrors, anthropomorphic sun masks, animals, and scenes inspired by fables and Greek mythology. His sun forms often combine stylized faces with radiating geometric elements, openwork passages, and richly varied polychrome glazes. The name Les Cyclades itself references the Cyclades islands and Zobel’s interest in Greek mythology.