Almost all the owls represented in this sale come in the form of shaped vases. They're clever, they’re humorous—embodying both the owl and the vase forms at the same time. These are quite complex shapes, 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 these shapes, which were 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.