Jean De Lespinasse, Baluster Pitcher

Jean de LESPINASSE (1896–1979)
Baluster pitcher, model no. 45, circa 1960

Polychrome glazed earthenware with incised decoration; turquoise blue, black, brown, yellow, and pale green glazes.

Signed and numbered on the base “JdL 45.”

A baluster-shaped earthenware pitcher resting on a flared circular foot. The bulging body tapers into a narrow neck that ends in a wide rim forming a spout. A long, arched handle connects the shoulder to the upper part of the neck.

The piece is covered with a wiped turquoise-blue glaze, revealing the horizontal striations from the wheel-throwing process. The front is adorned with a large incised polychrome decoration arranged within a vertical cartouche: a symmetrical geometric composition combining lanceolate shapes, volutes, and linear motifs in shades of yellow, pale green, brown, and black. The cartouche is framed by horizontal bands and scroll friezes that also run along the neck and the lower part of the body.

The reverse side, left almost entirely blue, is punctuated only by the peripheral friezes. The interior is glazed in glossy black.

Analysis and commentary:

Jean de LESPINASSE founded a ceramics studio in Nice with his wife Simone, which experienced significant growth in the 1950s and 1960s. His work was part of the postwar revival of French ceramics, which was particularly active on the French Riviera around Vallauris and Nice.

The studio’s creations are distinguished by the combination of robust, often architecturally inspired forms and an immediately recognizable decorative vocabulary: colored, wiped-back backgrounds, incised designs, polychrome reserves, geometric friezes, and stylized compositions. The contrast between matte or satin-finished surfaces and glossy glazes also contributes to their identity.

This pitcher is part of that characteristic body of work. Its tall baluster-shaped silhouette, accentuated by the elongated handle and the wide-open spout, gives the piece a particularly pronounced verticality. The decoration is concentrated on the main face within a large cartouche that follows the elongated shape of the body, thus becoming an integral part of the form’s construction.

The number 45 marked beneath the base corresponds to the model. This identification is confirmed by several examples cataloged under the same number.

During this period, Sylvie FOURNIER, the daughter-in-law of Jean and Simone de LESPINASSE, also played an important role in the workshop as a decorator. She contributed to the development of the ornamental vocabulary created by the studio, particularly in the areas of incised decorations and geometric or figurative compositions. Based on current research, however, no documentation exists to personally attribute the decoration on this piece to Sylvie FOURNIER.

Bibliography:

Jean-Claude MARTIN, Marques et signatures de la céramique d’art de la Côte d’Azur, Sudarènes Éditions.

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