Lovely Artisanal French Ceramic Bowl from the Pottery Village of Cliousclat, 1960s - 8¾"

This charming small ceramic bowl was made in Cliousclat, in the Drôme, around the 1960s. Its softly rounded form retains the slight irregularities of hand modeling, while two generously worked handles extend from either side, giving the piece an especially expressive silhouette. The warm cream-glazed interior is decorated with a delicate bird surrounded by flowers and leafy stems, incised and picked out in earthy brown and green tones. The exterior is finished in a deep brown glaze. Two or three small old chips are visible around the rim, consistent with age and use. The bowl is unsigned.

Cliousclat has a long tradition of vernacular pottery, known for robust everyday forms enlivened by freely drawn decoration and warm, earthy glazes. This little bowl captures that spirit particularly well: rustic in its handmade construction yet remarkably delicate in its painted bird and floral motif.  Lovely in the kitchen for serving olives or nuts, it would be equally charming on a bedside table to gather jewelry.