Roger Capron, Zoomorphic Table Lamp

Roger CAPRON (1922–2006),

Zoomorphic table lamp, circa 1955

Polychrome glazed ceramic with original electrical components.

Dimensions:
With shade: H 32 x D 20
Without shade: H 21 x W 13 x D 9.5 cm

Sculptural glazed ceramic table lamp, consisting of an ovoid body resting on three conical feet and extended by a cylindrical stem forming the lamp’s shaft.

One side of the body is decorated with a stylized antelope rendered in a palette of yellow, brown, black, and turquoise on a white background with blue undertones. The animal is depicted in profile, with long, curved horns and a deliberately simplified silhouette.

The entire piece is finished with a white satin enamel featuring subtle variations in firing.
The original electrical system has been preserved, with a brown Bakelite socket and the original switch on the cord. The lampshade is also original.

This lamp belongs to Roger CAPRON’s most free-spirited and inventive period, when the artist developed a decorative vocabulary in Vallauris directly inspired by primitive arts, imaginary bestiaries, and modern painting.

During the 1950s, he actively contributed to the renewal of French ceramics by rejecting the traditional distinction between utilitarian objects and artistic creation. His lamps are among the most sought-after aspects of his work, precisely because they combine sculpture, painted decoration, and domestic function within a single piece.

The antelope motif, rendered with a few quick strokes and a remarkable economy of means, reflects the influence of African art, cave paintings, and certain postwar graphic experiments. The animal is not depicted in a naturalistic manner but synthesized into an immediately recognizable decorative motif.

The lamp’s overall silhouette reflects this same approach. The organic forms, tapered legs, and slender body create an object that is as much a sculpture as it is a light fixture. This approach is fully in keeping with the spirit of Vallauris, where, around Roger CAPRON, many ceramists were then seeking to reinvent the forms of furniture and the decorative arts.

The figurative lamps from this period are much rarer today than the artist’s tiles or tables. They are among the most personal works produced in his studio and particularly well illustrate the unique place Roger CAPRON occupies in the history of French ceramics during the Trente Glorieuses.

Bibliography:

Pierre Staudenmeyer, Les Céramistes de Vallauris, Paris, Éditions du Regard, 1993;

Pierre Staudenmeyer, Roger Capron, Céramiste, Paris, Éditions de l'Amateur, 2003;

Alain Capron, Roger Capron, le génie des formes, Paris, Norma Éditions, 2020.