Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)

“Nothing he creates is accidental or negligible to him. He went into ceramics full tilt, with the same passion which he went into painting, sculpture and engraving” (Daniel-Henry Kahnweiller, Picasso Céramique, Hannover, 1957, p. 17).

This striking, ceramic form is a rare example, coming from a numbered edition of only 25. The vase has a refined, elegant yet playful appearance which is simultaneously modern and traditional. The vessel bears a narrow rim, swelling out into a curved body, which narrows again towards the base with a balance of weight that feels perfectly proportioned and voluminous. The refined palette in the artist’s choice of two colours, combines with the large scale of the work, to generate an overall grandeur and potency of presence.

Picasso has chosen to represent both bird and fish forms on this vase; common and popular motifs employed in his ceramic oeuvre. The outline of the fish and birds are raised from the surface of the vase and then decorated with colour. Thus, is shadow which draws their line and serves to animate and enhance their dimensions in an all-around continuous design. The bird in Oiseaux et poissons bears striking resemblance to “La Paloma” which means both “pigeon” and “dove” in Spanish and was a motif widely explored in Picasso’s work. Picasso grew up surrounded by pigeons; his father, José Ruiz Blasco, also an artist, bred pigeons, which became his favourite subject to paint. Picasso’s most famous representation of the dove is his whimsical “Dove of Peace” which was created in 1949 for the Paris Peace Conference; the model was one of Henri Matisse’s doves. In 1949 Picasso’s youngest daughter was born and given the name Paloma, highlighting the significance of these birds to the artist.