27. 27AR PABLO PICASSO (1881-1973) Three quartered masks dated '13.11.1952' (under the neck) and marked 'Madoura Plein Feu' (under the base) partially glazed terracotta jug Made on 13 November 1952 This work is unique. 32.7 x 23 cm. The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Claude Picasso. Provenance Estate of Marina Picasso. Private collection, France. In the 1950s, Pablo Picasso, already recognised as one of the greatest artists of the 20th century, passionately explored a new medium: ceramics. Although his genius had already revolutionised painting, sculpture and drawing, it was in the south of France, in Vallauris, that he discovered an ancestral art to which he would give a resolutely modern impetus. Picasso moved to Vallauris in 1948 and began working with the Madoura studio, run by Suzanne and Georges Ramié. Fascinated by the plasticity of clay, the artist immersed himself completely in ceramics, a field hitherto considered minor in the art world. He turned the rules on their head, combining traditional techniques with personal innovation. He paints, models, engraves and transforms forms with total freedom, making each piece a unique object or an original series. The 1950s marked a veritable golden age for this type of production. Picasso created hundreds of pieces - dishes, jugs, plates, vases - decorated with bulls, faces, owls, mythological or Mediterranean scenes. He played with volumes, turned functions on their head and breathed a joyful vitality into his terracotta works. In this respect, the terracotta jug entitled Trois masques à quartiers is an exceptionally rare work. It is a unique piece, perfectly preserved, which illustrates both the formal freedom and symbolic richness of Picasso's universe, and is thus an exceptional testimony to this prolific period. This ceramic phase shows a calmer Picasso, inspired by the light and gentleness of the Côte d'Azur. Through terracotta, he rediscovered the pleasure of the handmade gesture and direct dialogue with the material. Far removed from the great aesthetic debates of the avant-garde, this activity allowed him to express a more intimate, spontaneous creativity that was still profoundly innovative.