Mithé Espelt (1923 - 2020) Large Box
Artist: Mithé Espelt
Mithé ESPELT (1923-2020) Large polychrome and gilded ceramic box with lid decorated with three flowers in relief set in gilded frames, base in black lacquered wood sheathed in green felt at the base and under the lid. Good condition, no cracks or chips. Dimensions 26 cm long x 9.5 cm wide x 6.5 cm high.
Originally from the Montpellier region, Mithé Espelt (1923-2020) was born in Lunel in 1923. She grew up in an atmosphere of artistic effervescence, surrounded by Frédéric Mistral, Edmond Baissat and the decorator Jean Hugo, an important figure in local artistic and intellectual life. In Lunel, he immersed the young Mithé in the society (Cocteau, Bérard, Picasso etc.) of his neighbor, Jean Hugo, and in that of the many writers and artists he frequented. After studying at the École des Beaux-Arts, she followed the teaching of Émilie Décanis, developing her mastery of the fire arts to become part of the first graduating class of the Fontcarrade experimental ceramics school, an innovative project designed to train the best French ceramists of her generation.
She began her career in Paris creating ceramic buttons for haute couture houses, then worked for Line Vautrin and will always cherish the nostalgic memory of this dazzling collaboration with the great artist, before moving back down south. At the age of 23, she set up a ceramics workshop where she created trendy pottery, her first jewelry collections and the very first small mirrors. In 1947, she set up an extravagant carrousel in which a myriad of small mirrors and secret boxes filled with jewels twirl in a shower of pure gold flakes. Objects that question desire and seduction, envy and gluttony, reality and illusion, all the while delivering a message of optimism and love amidst the song of birds and flowers. Emilie Decanis, who had spotted her talent at Fontcarrade, saw in her one of the young hopefuls of the ceramics scene and included her in numerous exhibitions in France and abroad. Success followed: Mithé found herself in charge of the jewelry collections for Maison Souleiado, and created special commissions for clients such as Louise de Vilmorin and Poupette Vachon, Brigitte Bardot's stylist in Saint-Tropez.
Through a long career studded with the gold of success and extraordinary encounters, this explorer of reflections and the traps of seduction has created an inimitable style, that of a free, avant-garde work of grace and lightness. And the breathtaking array of jewels, mirrors and secret boxes for which she is renowned continues to surprise and delight connoisseurs the world over. Mithé Espelt slipped away with one of those wonderful smiles that lit up our years of connivance in September 2020, just as the monograph "Mithé Espelt, le luxe discret du quotidien" was published.
Originally from the Montpellier region, Mithé Espelt (1923-2020) was born in Lunel in 1923. She grew up in an atmosphere of artistic effervescence, surrounded by Frédéric Mistral, Edmond Baissat and the decorator Jean Hugo, an important figure in local artistic and intellectual life. In Lunel, he immersed the young Mithé in the society (Cocteau, Bérard, Picasso etc.) of his neighbor, Jean Hugo, and in that of the many writers and artists he frequented. After studying at the École des Beaux-Arts, she followed the teaching of Émilie Décanis, developing her mastery of the fire arts to become part of the first graduating class of the Fontcarrade experimental ceramics school, an innovative project designed to train the best French ceramists of her generation.
She began her career in Paris creating ceramic buttons for haute couture houses, then worked for Line Vautrin and will always cherish the nostalgic memory of this dazzling collaboration with the great artist, before moving back down south. At the age of 23, she set up a ceramics workshop where she created trendy pottery, her first jewelry collections and the very first small mirrors. In 1947, she set up an extravagant carrousel in which a myriad of small mirrors and secret boxes filled with jewels twirl in a shower of pure gold flakes. Objects that question desire and seduction, envy and gluttony, reality and illusion, all the while delivering a message of optimism and love amidst the song of birds and flowers. Emilie Decanis, who had spotted her talent at Fontcarrade, saw in her one of the young hopefuls of the ceramics scene and included her in numerous exhibitions in France and abroad. Success followed: Mithé found herself in charge of the jewelry collections for Maison Souleiado, and created special commissions for clients such as Louise de Vilmorin and Poupette Vachon, Brigitte Bardot's stylist in Saint-Tropez.
Through a long career studded with the gold of success and extraordinary encounters, this explorer of reflections and the traps of seduction has created an inimitable style, that of a free, avant-garde work of grace and lightness. And the breathtaking array of jewels, mirrors and secret boxes for which she is renowned continues to surprise and delight connoisseurs the world over. Mithé Espelt slipped away with one of those wonderful smiles that lit up our years of connivance in September 2020, just as the monograph "Mithé Espelt, le luxe discret du quotidien" was published.
1 200 €
Period: 20th century
Style: Design 50's and 60's
Condition: Good condition
Material: Ceramic
Reference (ID): 1767798
Availability: In stock
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