
Aquatint
13 works

Service visage noir, 1948
Madoura ceramic round dish of white earthenware clay, engobe decoration, knife engraved and glaze (red, green, white, bright black ground) This work is stamped with the ‘Madoura Plein Feu’ and ‘D’Apres Picasso’ pottery stamps on verso; also inscribed ‘Madoura’ in black on verso.
9 1/2 in 24.1 cm
Edition
Edition of 100
In Service Visage Noir, Picasso demonstrates the extraordinary vitality and freedom that characterized his ceramics. Produced in collaboration with the Madoura Pottery workshop in Vallauris, this piece reflects the artist’s joy in transforming utilitarian objects into canvases for radical artistic expression. Here, the black ground sets a dramatic stage for the whimsical face outlined in fluid, knife-engraved lines, punctuated by bold splashes of green and earthy orange glazes. This dish exemplifies Picasso’s ability to merge ancient Mediterranean ceramic traditions with his own modernist sensibility. The circular composition naturally lends itself to the depiction of a face—an enduring motif in Picasso’s oeuvre, often playful, sometimes grotesque, but always alive with invention. The engraved line is at once simple and charged with vitality, echoing the immediacy of his drawing practice. Picasso’s ceramics broke with convention by elevating functional pottery to the level of fine art. Service Visage Noir is not merely a decorative object but part of Picasso’s ongoing exploration of form, line, and surface, where the everyday becomes transformed through wit and imagination. These works embody his democratic impulse—art not confined to canvas or gallery walls, but integrated into the rituals of daily life, offering a tangible intimacy with the artist’s hand. For more information or to buy Service Visage Noir by Pablo Picasso, contact our galleries using the form below.
Price on Application
Auction History

“Service visage noir” white earthenware clay knife engraved and decorated in engobes · Pablo Picasso · Dorotheum · 2025-12 · $10,627

Ensemble de trois assiettes du service visage noir (A.R. 36, 42 et 46) · Pablo Picasso · Christie's · 2025-05 · $11,770

Service Visage Noir (Ramié 38) · Pablo Picasso · Bonhams · 2025-04 · $5,120

Service visage noir: plate I (Alan Ramié 44) · Pablo Picasso · Sotheby's · 2024-02 · $4,064

Service visage noir: plate G (Alan Ramié 42) · Pablo Picasso · Sotheby's · 2024-02 · $4,445

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