French Stoneware Wall Mirror in the style of Les Argonautes, 1970s

Details

Description

This wall mirror was hand-built in stoneware, in the style of the ceramic mirrors produced by Les Argonautes, the workshop … Read more This wall mirror was hand-built in stoneware, in the style of the ceramic mirrors produced by Les Argonautes, the workshop founded in Vallauris, France, by Isabelle Ferlay and Frédérique Bourguet, and it dates from the 1970s. The body is a coarse, sandy buff stoneware, visible on the reverse, while the front is covered in a mottled cobalt blue glaze that shifts toward grey and ochre at the edges. A single row of raised circular bosses runs around the mirror plate, with a small triangular cluster of the same bosses set at the base of the frame, above a tapered lower extension. The outer edge of the frame and both sides of this lower extension are cut with an irregular, saw-tooth profile, giving the piece a rough, hand-carved silhouette rather than a smooth outline. The mirror glass itself is rectangular and set flush within the ceramic frame. The reverse has a hole for wall mounting, along with an incised artist's signature, a small spiral stamp, and the number N° 3, suggesting it belonged to a small group of similarly hand-built mirrors rather than a single unique piece. Its scale makes it suited to an entryway, a hallway, or a spot above a console table, and it can also stand on its own as a small sculptural wall piece among other Vallauris stoneware from the period. Pieces of this kind are typically sought by collectors of French studio ceramics and Mid-Century Modern design from the south of France. This piece is designed in the style of the selected designer and/or manufacturer See less