Pablo Picasso (1881-1973), Taureau sous l'arbre (Bull under a tree), 1952, hollow circular plate in white glazed earthenware with black oxidised paraffin decoration, Madoura and Edition Picasso debossed and marked Edition Picasso under the base, diam. 20 cm Bibliography: Alain Ramié, Picasso, Catalogue de l'oeuvre céramique édité 1947-1971, Galerie Madoura, Vallauris, 1988, p. 89, no. 159 (another piece illustrated) Ceramics by Pablo Picasso This collection of ceramics represents an ensemble of exceptional importance in Picasso's ceramic work. They are unique pieces, entirely modelled, decorated and painted by his own hand, unlike the more common production, which consists of multiples made by the Madoura studio from a model by the artist and under his supervision. What's more, they come directly from the Picasso estate, and were offered to the family of the current owner, never having been unveiled on the market. In 1946, Picasso began working with the Madoura studio in Vallauris, marking a turning point in his artistic career. A veritable field of experimentation, he turned away from the traditional forms of painting and sculpture to test the possibilities of the ceramic medium. He explored clay as a sculptural material and pottery as a field for artistic innovation, transforming utilitarian objects into genuine works of art. These ceramics cover a period of intense creativity between 1947 and 1963, when the artist confronted emblematic motifs in his work: the pigeon, the goat, the bull, and human figures, often reduced to geometric or abstract forms. These themes are expressed through a palette of bright, contrasting colours, applied directly to the surface of the pieces in slip or enamel, and sometimes engraved to accentuate their expressiveness.