Large blue-glazed pinched ceramic vase - Accolay, France circa 1950, 13¾"

Few objects sum up French mid-century optimism following the Second World War better than this beautiful Accolay hand-thrown pinched pottery vase. Its bold and optimistic blue glaze does not shy away from use of pigmented color - perhaps reminiscent of the colors of the French Riviera or Provençal blue skies. This piece was made by the Accolay pottery studio Circa 1960s. The blue color can also be described as a similar blue to the old French cigarette brand "Gauloises" - known for their blue boxes. Granular and matte blue and black and blue stripes. Black in middle, 1970.   

In the 1950s and 60s, a stop at the Accolay pottery studio was a ritual for Parisians driving down south to spend summer on the south coast of France. Accolay was founded by four young artists, André Boutaud, Louis Dangon, Slavic Paley and Raude. In 1944, they were apprenticed to the celebrated ceramist, Alexandre Kostanda (initially, they claimed, in order to escape forced labor under the German Occupation.) When the war ended, they started an experimental pottery in a disused factory in the little village of Accolay, near Burgundy.

A right of passage for potters near and far, it was common for ceramic artists to take up residence in this communal pottery studio for periods of time before continuing on to work in other ceramic studios and gain apprenticeships. The turning point came when Christian Dior ordered 300 of their ceramic buttons for his New Look collection. From there, they were on the road to success. Excerpts from The Road to Accolay.