A "tête-à-tête" Stoneware Dinner Service From Ciboure, Neo-greek Period, By Etienne Vilotte

A rare "tête-à-tête" tea set consisting of a teapot, a milk jug, two cups and saucers, and a sugar bowl (a separate piece, but also in the Neo-Greek style).
The Neo-Greek decorative style (initiated by Louis Floutier in 1919) was continued by Elise and Etienne Vilotte. On the teapot and the milk jug (often mistaken for a teapot), scenes of fauns, nude women, and men (Bacchanalia) are depicted in landscapes beneath trees. The lids feature three doves in flight above a roof (?).
The cups are decorated with nude couples (fauns and faunesses), rams, and doves, against a background of vertical lines. The saucers feature three doves in flight arranged in a circle, along with lines and curves.
The sugar bowl is decorated with five resting birds of prey and five stars.
The interior of the set is glazed black.

Teapot diameter: 17.5 cm; height: 9 cm
Milk jug diameter: 13 cm; height: 6 cm
Cup diameter: 8.5 cm; height: 3.5 cm
Saucer diameter: 12.8 cm
Sugar bowl diameter: 10 cm; height: 3.8 cm



(Étienne and Élise Vilotte (1922–1945)

The pottery workshop was taken over by Étienne Vilotte and his wife Élise, and officially established with the registration of the “VE Ciboure” trademark on May 17, 1922. From that date onward, pieces were generally no longer signed by the artists. The presence of Europe’s wealthy nobility in Biarritz during the 1920s spurred the growth of artisanal production.

This period introduced the Neo-Basque style, blending local tradition and Art Deco influences with the designs of Pierre Almès and the forms created by potter Adrian Esteban (notably the “pedarra” and “gargoulette”).

Several artists left their mark on this era and are

Several artists left their mark on these years and are particularly sought after by collectors: Jean Léon, active as early as 1921; Pedro Garcia de Diego, who arrived in 1927 and was known for his scenes of daily life and Neo-Greek vases; Richard Le Coronne, active as early as 1928, whose Basque scenes and early examples of the Jorraila style foreshadowed future designs.)