PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973)
Figure de proue (AR 136)
numbered, inscribed and stamped 'EDITION PICASSO / 58/300 /MADOURA' (underneath)
white earthenware clay, decoration in engobes, engraved, glaze inside
9 1/16 x 4 3/4 x 10 inches (23 x 12 x 25.5 cm)
Executed in 1952. This is number 58 from an edition of 300.

NOTES:

This expressive ceramic sculpture captures the experimental spirit of Picasso’s late‑career ceramic work while working out of the Madura ceramics studio. Figure de proue (AR 136)  reimagines classic sculptural form through Picasso’s inventive lens, a vessel turned into a figurative ship's prow. The female figure takes shape at the mouth of the pitcher, showing where abstraction becomes true ceramic craftsmanship. As much a conversation piece as a collector’s objet d’art, it embodies the tensions between function and form.