Philippe Gaillard - Sculpture, Gezicht - 29 cm - Ceramic

Impressive Brutalist Ceramic Sculpture with Face – Philippe Gaillard (29 cm, 1.88 kg)

A powerful and rare piece of French modernist studio pottery (c. 1960–1980). This impressive, heavy sculptural object combines a serene, mask-like human face with a robust, dramatic drapery of clay. A beautiful example of the high-quality Brutalist Studio Pottery movement.

What makes this object so intriguing is the visible craftsmanship and the dynamic interaction of the elements in the kiln:

Hand-modeled Form:
The vase is built around a wheel-turned cylinder (the turning rings are still clearly visible on the inside). The calm face and the heavy, folded hood/veil are then hand-sculpted onto and around it.

The Glaze & the Melt (the 'drip' effect):

The fluid, dripping texture of the surface is the direct result of the firing process. The dark, graphite- to metallic-like glaze melted in the kiln at a temperature of just over 1000°C. Under the influence of gravity, the liquid glaze flowed down along the folds and collected in the deeper parts. This creates a rich color effect, mineral specks, and a fascinating play of shadows.

At the bottom, clearly hand-signed in a dark green ceramic oxide: Gaillard Ph. (Philippe Gaillard) with the addition 1 or 7 (designation for model number or unificatum).

The underside shows the warm terracotta clay base, an authentic network of fine crazing in the ground glaze, and the thick glaze ridge of the exterior rim.

Brutalism / Sculptural Mid-Century Studio Pottery
Origin: France
Period: ca. 1960 – 1980
Height: 29 cm
Opening diameter: 9 cm
Base diameter: 8.5 cm
Weight: 1,880 g (1.88 kg)
Material: Ceramic / Earthenware (Terracotta)