Bowl

André Metthey

ca. 1910 · Earthenware · Modern and Contemporary Art

Metthey worked as a painter, sculptor, and interior designer before devoting himself entirely to ceramics in 1901. While other vanguard ceramists were working in stoneware, a medium in which the ceramic body and the ornament were fused, Metthey was attracted to earthenware, which lent itself to painted decoration and glazes that rested upon the surface. At first he produced only the faience bodies, which he invited his friends Matisse, Derain, Vlaminck, Denis, and many others to decorate. However, after discovering ancient Near Eastern pottery in 1906, he abandoned this practice to work on his own. The painted decoration on this bowl suggests Islamic designs, and the abundant use of gold recalls ancient Mesopotamian luster glazes.

Artist

André Metthey

Date

ca. 1910

Medium

Earthenware

Culture

French

Department

Modern and Contemporary Art

Credit line

Purchase, Edward C. Moore Jr. Gift, 1922