Mithé ESPELT (1923-2020) - Lot 52

Mithé ESPELT (1923-2020) Vallauris, circa 1955-1965 Glazed ceramic mirror frame with black background, decorated in relief with two birds facing each other, surrounded by stylized floral motifs and foliage, enhanced with gold highlights. Contrasting palette dominated by black, white, green, pink and gold. Dimensions: 27.5 x 23 cm Note: This mirror frame is a characteristic example of the work of Mithé Espelt, a singular figure in Vallauris ceramics in the 1950s-1960s. His work is characterized by a naïve, poetic iconography, combined with rigorous graphic composition and the recurrent use of dark backgrounds enhanced by light motifs and gilding. The confronted birds and stylized vegetal decoration are fully in keeping with the artist's decorative repertoire, today highly sought-after by collectors of French modernist ceramics. Comparative bibliography - Viviane Giroud, Vallauris, la céramique française 1945-1960, Éditions Norma, 2001. - Pierre Staudenmeyer, Céramiques de Vallauris, Paris, Éditions du Chêne. - Musée Magnelli - Musée de la Céramique, Vallauris, public collections (comparable pieces).