Pablo Picasso
Oiseau Au Ver, 1952
Ceramic
15.2 cm
6.0 in
6.0 in
Edition of 500
Series: Ceramic
Stamped with 'Edition Picasso' and 'Madoura Plein Feu' pottery stamps on the reverse
Oiseau au Ver by Pablo Picasso takes a simple subject—a bird with a worm—and reduces it to a direct, almost instinctive image. Made in 1952 at the Madoura pottery in...
Oiseau au Ver by Pablo Picasso takes a simple subject—a bird with a worm—and reduces it to a direct, almost instinctive image. Made in 1952 at the Madoura pottery in Vallauris, it comes from the period when Picasso was fully embedded in ceramics, working quickly and treating the plate as a surface for immediate mark-making.
The bird sits at the centre, painted in dark brown slip against the pale ground. A few fast strokes define the body, a sharp beak grips the worm, and a single circular eye fixes the image. There’s no setting, no distraction—just the moment of capture held in place.
The plate matters. Its circular form contains the image, forcing everything inward. The bird follows that curve, turning slightly within the space, while a loose ring of marks around the rim frames it without closing it down. The object isn’t neutral—it dictates how the image sits.
At Madoura, from 1947 onwards, Picasso worked through ceramics at scale, producing thousands of pieces. What drew him in was the directness—slip, glaze, incision—everything applied quickly, everything fixed through firing. Unlike painting, there’s no revision once it goes into the kiln. That pressure sharpens the image.
Subjects like this come naturally within that setup. Animals, faces, fragments of action—things that can be reduced without losing impact. There’s also a clear link to Mediterranean pottery traditions, where birds and simple motifs carry across vessels and plates. Picasso uses that language, but keeps it unadorned.
By the early 1950s, he isn’t describing from life. The bird is built from memory and repetition, reduced to a form he can place instantly. That’s where the strength comes from—nothing unnecessary, nothing softened.
Oiseau au Ver resolves through restraint. The image is reduced to a few marks, but nothing feels missing—the plate, the line and the subject all sit in balance without being overstated.
For more information or to buy Oiseau Au Ver by Pablo Picasso, contact our specialists using the enquiry button above.
Browse Picasso signed prints for sale, or enquire about selling Picasso prints.
The bird sits at the centre, painted in dark brown slip against the pale ground. A few fast strokes define the body, a sharp beak grips the worm, and a single circular eye fixes the image. There’s no setting, no distraction—just the moment of capture held in place.
The plate matters. Its circular form contains the image, forcing everything inward. The bird follows that curve, turning slightly within the space, while a loose ring of marks around the rim frames it without closing it down. The object isn’t neutral—it dictates how the image sits.
At Madoura, from 1947 onwards, Picasso worked through ceramics at scale, producing thousands of pieces. What drew him in was the directness—slip, glaze, incision—everything applied quickly, everything fixed through firing. Unlike painting, there’s no revision once it goes into the kiln. That pressure sharpens the image.
Subjects like this come naturally within that setup. Animals, faces, fragments of action—things that can be reduced without losing impact. There’s also a clear link to Mediterranean pottery traditions, where birds and simple motifs carry across vessels and plates. Picasso uses that language, but keeps it unadorned.
By the early 1950s, he isn’t describing from life. The bird is built from memory and repetition, reduced to a form he can place instantly. That’s where the strength comes from—nothing unnecessary, nothing softened.
Oiseau au Ver resolves through restraint. The image is reduced to a few marks, but nothing feels missing—the plate, the line and the subject all sit in balance without being overstated.
For more information or to buy Oiseau Au Ver by Pablo Picasso, contact our specialists using the enquiry button above.
Browse Picasso signed prints for sale, or enquire about selling Picasso prints.
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