Chouette (A.R. 542)

This owl comes in the form of a shaped vase; he is clever, humorous—embodying both the owl and the vase form at the same time. This is quite a complex shape, constructed out of four parts: the body, the head, the tail, and the foot. Picasso collaborated closely with Suzanne Ramié, who worked at the Madoura pottery studio with him, to design this shape, which was quite a technical achievement—both in physical and decorative terms—employing multiple techniques to produce layered textures.

Picasso’s connection to the mysterious owl creature was more than just symbolic—the surfaces of these owl vases allowed him to explore the ceramic medium in a very painterly manner. Observe the way the ruffling feathers of these birds are depicted in this piece; different types of glazes have been used—one matte, one gloss; along with thick gouging techniques to create textural complexity and variety on multiple levels.