Pablo Picasso Madoura in Vallauris, ceramic bull ashtray

Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) Glazed ceramic ashtray, Vallauris. Hand-painted decoration, black on a cream background. This glazed ceramic ashtray reflects the work Picasso produced in Vallauris during the 1950s, a period in which he reinvented utilitarian forms as true works of art. At the center, the decoration depicts the silhouette of a bull, an emblematic theme for the artist, associated with his Spanish roots and the bullfighting imagery that permeates his entire oeuvre. The figure, painted with a swift and confident gesture, appears in flat, almost calligraphic black, like an essential symbol reduced to its primal force. The rim of the ashtray is adorned with a series of hand-applied black dots, creating a simple and direct graphic rhythm, typical of Vallauris pieces. The deliberately limited palette, black on a cream background, highlights the spontaneity of the brushstrokes and accentuates the contrast between form and decoration.

"BULL" ASHTRAY - 1952. White earthenware. Decorated with oxidized paraffin and white enamel. Limited edition of 500.

Signed with stamps after Picasso and Madoura and handwritten mark in acid Picasso edition.

High. 5 cm (2.0 in) - diam. 14.5 cm (5.7 in.).

Bibliography: Alain Ramié, Picasso - catalogue raisonné of the ceramic work published 1947-1971, Madoura, Vallauris, 1988, model referenced under no. 177 and reproduced p. 95.