Plate signed Monique Brunner, Pansier, Pottery of the Aquarius, Vallauris

Here is a very beautiful and large dish that will leave no one indifferent! It can adorn a wall or serve as a centrepiece, enough to "wake up" the room it is in! It is an enamelled ceramic dish, the result of the artisanal work of Monique Brunner, Pansier by her maiden name. Monique Pansier discovered pottery during a workshop at the Madoura studio in the 1950s, where she notably met Picasso and Suzanne Ramié. She then became a decorator at the Cerenne studio, where she met her future husband Kurt Brunner. In 1959, they created their workshop in Vallauris, the Poterie du Verseau, where they worked until 1988. Their ceramics, initially sold in Vallauris and Vence, were so appreciated that from 1974 onwards, they could even be found in galleries on the Atlantic coast; their reputation also crossed the Channel and the Atlantic. This dish represents a fish, an emblematic decoration of Monique's work. Sometimes their ceramics simply bear the handwritten mention "Vallauris", sometimes "Vence", but this one is signed "M. Brunner" on the back with the mention "decor hand". The technique used is also typical of Monique Brunner's work, an incised decoration, with multiple lines, then the glazing, predominantly orange but also red, gold, and black, is applied between the lines, giving an impression of movement to the fish. This creates a lovely contrast between the flashy, shiny fish, which is very smooth to the touch, and the more matte background of a milky grey. This dish has several holes at the back to facilitate hanging (and I leave the metal wire in place). This dish is in very good condition, with neither cracks nor chips, perhaps a small abrasion on the edge, or simply a slight lack of original glaze (the glaze is indeed thinner and less present on the edge of the dish). It measures 41 cm by 31.5 cm with a maximum depth of 3.5 cm at the edge.