A trio of Madoura ceramic pitchers created by Pablo Picasso have performed superbly at auction in the US.
The items, created by Picasso during his several visits with the famed Madoura Pottery in southern France, sold for a combined $16,000 at a New Orleans sale on July 14, $2,000 and 14.3% above their $14,000 high valuation.
 Picassos of all types continue to beat estimates |
Cavalier et Cheval was the leading performer, selling for $6,000 against a $5,000 high estimate, while Femme beat its $4,000 estimate by 37.5% to make $5,500.
Visage sold within estimate for $4,500.
Picasso was inspired to produce painted ceramics having seen the work of the Madoura Pottery at a ceramics festival in 1946.
Picasso made a vast number of ceramics at the pottery, where he became a regular visitor over the next 25 years.
"Picasso was a master of all media with which he worked, and ceramics was no exception," Alain Ramié, son of the owners of Madoura Pottery, said recently.
"Ceramics were a great passion of Picasso's and they have been a source of a lifetime's passion for me and my parents."
The auction follows the record-breaking Madoura collection sale at Christie's on June 25 that saw four works beat Picasso's previous ceramic world record. The record now stands at £735,650 ($1.1m).
With values for Picassos of all varieties constantly exceeding expectations (his Femme assise made $5.2m against an estimate of $3.5m in May), now is the time to invest in the great man. We have a Pablo Picasso autographed postcard in stock today.
