£10k Picasso vase to be auctioned in Derbyshire

A masterpiece vase designed by the great Spanish artist Pablo Picasso and made in the south of France is going under the hammer in Derbyshire.
Decorative Arts valuer John Keightley from Hanson's auctioneers with the Picasso vaseDecorative Arts valuer John Keightley from Hanson's auctioneers with the Picasso vase
Decorative Arts valuer John Keightley from Hanson's auctioneers with the Picasso vase

The piece was found in a home in Littelover and will be sold by Hansons Auctioneers in Etwall on Tuesday, December 15.

Owner Charles Hanson said: “It is quite incredible to see what is hidden within four walls of our county. The vase captures the essence of a decadent Picasso in the roaring 1940s when the hub of France carried a license for artistic talent.”

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Pablo Picasso, is best known for his abstract oil paintings which sell for 100s of millions of pounds at auction. However, with the thirst and competition for his original canvases pushing all but a select few out of the market, collectors have turned to his other works, including prints and ceramics.

In the 1940s the artist started working with a husband and wife team who had a small scale pottery operation in the south of France and employed staff to replicate his ideas.

Vase Deux Anses Hautes, or vase with two high handles, was conceived in 1952 and has estimate of £12,000 – 18,000.

With collectors such as Richard Attenborough, part of whose collection was donated to the Leicester museums a few years ago and the rest sold at a London auction house, and the general thirst for something with that magic name, prices for Picasso ceramics have increased in recent years. They now regularly change hands at auction for anywhere between £3,000 and £100,000.

The vase will be sold in the Decorative Arts section of the Fine Art auction on 14th­ to 16th December, alongside other works by Rene Lalique, Ferdinand Preiss and Christopher Dresser.