French Figural Ceramic Bowl or Catchall by Jean Lurçat, 1950s
Modernist abstraction meets the craft of everyday objects in this French ceramic bowl or catchall by Jean Lurçat, dating to the 1950s.
Signed “Dessin J. Lurçat Sant Vicens”, the piece carries the hallmark of Lurçat’s distinctive graphic vocabulary—angular forms, simplified motifs, and a palette that balances earth tones with stark contrasts. The design is both bold and playful, a small-scale reflection of the monumental tapestry work for which Lurçat became internationally celebrated. His early exposure to avant-garde circles in Paris, and friendships with figures like Pablo Picasso, inform the dynamic energy of the motifs, translating modernist composition into ceramic form.
Crafted as a shallow, gently sloping bowl, the piece functions as a catchall yet carries the weight of an art object. The curved surfaces frame each stylized figure, creating a rhythm that encourages the eye to travel across the design. The Sant Vicens studio, known for its fine glazes and precision, imbues the piece with a soft sheen that emphasizes the hand-painted lines and the subtle interplay of color.
Ideal for display on a console, sideboard, or tabletop, the bowl bridges utility and decoration. A work by Lurçat that is at once intimate and monumental, grounding a space while inviting closer inspection.
Jean Lurçat began his artistic career in Paris in 1912, moving within the circles of Pablo Picasso and Louis Marcoussis. Influenced by Cubism and later Expressionism, his extensive travels through Spain, North Africa, and the Middle East shaped the symbolic and poetic imagery that defined his work. Though recognized as an important painter of the École de Paris, Lurçat became internationally celebrated in the 1930s for reviving tapestry-making as a modern art form through his collaborations with the Beauvais weaving workshops.
During the 1950s, Lurçat expanded his practice into ceramics while working at the Saint-Vicens studio in Perpignan. His ceramic works—filled with mythological creatures, foliage, zodiac motifs, roosters, and owls—combined vivid color, symbolism, and Art Nouveau influence. Widely exhibited throughout Europe, his ceramics remain admired for their expressive decoration and poetic character.
DIMENSIONS: 5.75"W x 6.5"D x 2"H
ORIGIN: France
PERIOD: 1950s
MATERIALS: Ceramic
CONDITION:
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