Pichet Denbac 326-2 – Art Deco stoneware with geometric reserve from the 1920s-30s

Stoneware jug from the Denbac factory in Vierzon, bearing the Denbac signature under the base along with the handwritten reference 326 accompanied by the number 2. A particularly interesting piece due to its treatment, which is very different from the flamed stoneware typically associated with the factory. Streamlined and resolutely geometric silhouette: cylindrical body, widely stretched spout, and angular handle. The whole is covered in a nearly monochrome blue-grey glaze, interrupted on the belly by a deliberately unglazed circular reserve, revealing the light hue and matte texture of the stoneware. While the shape 326 is known in Denbac's production, this very stripped-down execution with a large circular reserve appears to be particularly undocumented. Signature under the base Denbac 326 + 2 underlined + geometric mark. The brand was born in Vierzon from the contraction of the two founders' names, René Denert and René-Louis Balichon. Denbac is among the French manufacturers that renewed artistic stoneware in the interwar period, exploring both glazes and forms and decorations of remarkable modernity. Height 18 cm, body width 10 cm, spout handle width 16 cm. In good vintage condition, with small material and glazing irregularities visible, inherent to the manufacturing process (see photos). A radical geometry, a circle of bare material on a blue-grey background for a singular Denbac whose modernity almost makes one forget its age.