Jacques BLIN, lamp base with a design of stylised faces.

Jacques BLIN (1920–1995) Lamp base with a decor of stylised faces. Engobed and glazed terracotta with incised decoration. Electric fitting. Signature "J Blin" under the base. France, circa 1955–1965. Rare lamp base in engobed terracotta with an archaic form, resting on a circular base and topped with a long truncated conical neck incorporating the electric fitting. The flattened body, with gently curved shoulders, is rhythmically adorned with small perforated side handles that enhance the sculptural dimension of the whole. The surface is entirely animated by a decoration engraved with a point representing a succession of stylised faces inscribed in circular medallions. Each figure presents a distinct physiognomy (schematic profiles, bearded characters, or frontal figures) treated in the graphic vocabulary of Jacques BLIN. The decoration is achieved by incision in the engobe before firing, then highlighted with dark oxides that emphasise the lines. The light reserves contrast with nuanced tones of green and grey, creating a vibrant surface where the variations in firing contribute fully to the sought-after plastic effect. The organisation of the decoration in frieze evokes certain archaic or Mediterranean iconographies reinterpreted in a very personal language. This reference to ancient forms is found in several works by Jacques BLIN during the 1950s, a period when the artist developed a production strongly marked by primitivism, popular arts, and ancient civilisations. Bibliography: Yvonne Brunhammer, La Céramique française des années 1950, Office du Livre. Pierre Staudenmeyer, La Céramique française des années 50, Norma Éditions, Paris, 2001. Alain et Marjolaine Vian, Les Céramistes des années 50, Éditions du Regard, Paris, 1998. Christine Lavenu, Jacques Blin, céramiste et porteur d’histoires, Paris, 2019.