Pablo Picasso

PABLO PICASSO (Málaga, 1881 – Mougins, France, 1973).
“Vase aztèque aux quatre visages” (Aztec Vase with Four Faces), 1957.
White earthenware, partially engraved, with colored engobes and glaze; number 27/50.
Design conceived in 1957 and produced in a numbered edition of 50 pieces by the Madoura workshop in Vallauris.
Stamped, marked, and numbered on the base: “Edition Picasso / Madoura Plein Feu / Edition Picasso / 27/50 / Madoura.”
Bibliography: Alain Ramié, *Picasso. Catalogue of the Edited Ceramic Works 1947–1971*, Madoura, 1988, p. 210, no. 401 (model reproduced).
In good condition.
Measurements: 52.7 cm high.

Conceived in 1957, “Vase aztèque aux quatre visages” is a remarkable example of Pablo Picasso’s inventiveness in the field of ceramics, a discipline central to his mature work. The piece belongs to the series produced in collaboration with the renowned Madoura workshop in Vallauris, directed by Suzanne and Georges Ramié, with whom the artist established a close creative relationship beginning in 1947. In these works, Picasso transcended the traditional function of the ceramic object to explore its sculptural and pictorial possibilities, transforming everyday vessels into creations of great formal originality.

Of particular interest is this model’s connection to the pre-Columbian ceramic tradition. Although its title alludes to the Aztec world, the vase’s structure is inspired by the vessels with stirrup handles from the Moche culture, which flourished on the northern coast of ancient Peru. Suzanne Ramié revived this ancestral form—characterized by a globular body and a large tubular handle topped by a spout—adapting it to Picasso’s artistic language. The artist transforms the volume through four human faces distributed across the surface, constructed from schematic features with Cubist overtones. The combination of bluish engobes, earthy tones, and white surfaces creates striking graphic hallmarks, while incisions and geometric motifs enrich the decoration. The multiplication of faces invites the viewer to contemplate the piece from different angles, establishing a thought-provoking dialogue between American artistic traditions and the European avant-garde. Its pronounced sculptural presence reveals Picasso’s ability to integrate form, decoration, and volume into a singular creation.

A leading figure in 20th-century art, Pablo Picasso was one of the principal driving forces behind Cubism and a key player in the constant renewal of artistic languages. His encounter with the Madoura studio in 1946 marked the beginning of an intense period of ceramic experimentation, which he pursued particularly from 1947 onward for more than two decades. In this field, he explored modeling, engobes, glazes, and the sculptural transformation of traditional forms, incorporating Mediterranean, classical, and pre-Columbian references. His work is represented in institutions such as MoMA in New York, the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid, the Musée national Picasso-Paris, and the Museu Picasso in Barcelona.