Amphora vase with four handles — Willy Biron, Bouffioulx, Belgium, circa 1960

Amphora vase in stoneware signed Willy Biron from Bouffioulx, the Belgian capital of art stoneware since the 17th century. Four handles — two high arched ones under the neck, two low ones forming fins at the base of the heel — create a silhouette that is both compact and sculptural. The body features a pink-brown glaze with milky gradients, encircled by three bands of matte black glaze that rhythmically define the shape with the precision of an archaic drawing. Conical neck, narrowed lip, black lacquered handles: a vocabulary of ancient reference transposed into the mineral material of Bouffioulx stoneware. Marked "Biron W" on the base and numbered "1" within a circle — a model reference in the workshop's catalogue. The raw terracotta heel reveals high-temperature French stoneware, a technical signature of the Bouffioulx school. A rare form in Biron's production, which is generally recognised for its utilitarian jugs and pitchers.