Art Nouveau Ceramist Gilbert Méténier (1876-1957) Jug "blue from Gannat"

Art Nouveau. Ceramicist Gilbert Méténier (1876-1957) Massive jug "blue of Gannat" Ceramics from Gannat (Allier) Flamed stoneware with reactive decoration. Height: 190mm. Weight: 1kg635. Gilbert Méténier (1876-1957), son of Louis Méténier, a French potter and ceramicist based in Gannat (Allier), succeeded in 1920 and ensured the renown of Méténier art stoneware. The activity continued until 1940, at which time Gilbert Méténier is said to have destroyed all the moulds "so that they would not fall into the hands of the occupier"; he then went to live in Saint-Raphaël, where he disappeared from records. Méténier's stoneware, sometimes referred to as "blues of Gannat", is all the more sought after as collectors can be assured of encountering only authentic pieces since, due to the destruction of the moulds and matrices, it is not technically possible to create copies of the pieces made by this factory between 1920 and 1939...