Have it delivered hassle-freeBuyer protectionAll Designer items curated by WhoppahDownload the Whoppah App – get alerts & sell with ease.
Have it delivered hassle-free
Zoomorphic Art Stoneware Pitcher Méténier – Gannat – Woodcock – Cobalt Blue Flambé Glazes
€185Bid from €166.50
Buy with confidence
Shop & pay safely with Buyer ProtectionDesigner items curated by WhoppahWe only pay the seller once you have safely received the itemTrusted payment methods
About this seller
ProfessionalProduct description
This remarkable zoomorphic glazed stoneware pitcher is a creation of the Méténier house, one of the workshops that marked the history of French art stoneware in the early 20th century. Established in Gannat, Allier, the Méténier family developed a production of art stoneware from the 1910s onwards, which quickly distinguished itself by the richness of its glazes. Louis Méténier worked with his son Gilbert, who continued and developed the workshop from 1920. Vases, pitchers, bowls, and forms inspired by the plant or animal world were then crafted as true decorative objects, in the spirit that accompanied the transition from Art Nouveau to the early years of Art Deco. Méténier's reputation stems notably from its research into glazes and the effects achieved during firing. Deep blues, greens, ochres, browns, and metallic nuances meet and blend on the stoneware, giving each piece a unique texture and variations. The Gannat production is today fully recognized in the history of French ceramics, and the Yves-Machelon Museum in Gannat dedicated a major exhibition to it in 2025. Our pitcher wonderfully illustrates this research. Its ample, rounded belly is covered in its lower part with a spectacular cobalt blue glaze, deep and luminous. As the eye moves up towards the shoulder, the blue meets shades of olive green, brown, ochre, and copper, forming drips and overlays resulting from the work of glazes and fire. But it is its silhouette that gives it its full personality. The neck metamorphoses into a bird's head. Small reliefs suggest the eyes, while the spout stretches into a long, slender beak. The large handle balances this almost sculptural silhouette and complements the roundness of the body. Depending on the angle from which it is viewed, the object thus changes in nature. It remains perfectly identifiable as a pitcher, then the bird appears and the ceramic suddenly takes on the appearance of a sculpture. The piece bears the Méténier signature on its base. Its modeling, zoomorphic treatment, and glazes allow it to be dated around 1920, a particularly interesting period where naturalistic research inherited from Art Nouveau progressively met the new decorative sensibilities of the 1920s. A piece of character, typical of Méténier's most captivating stoneware, where the utilitarian object fades behind the ceramist's work and where the mastery of glazes transforms each firing into a singular piece.
Additional details:
- Brand: Méténier
- Designer: Louis Méténier
- Designer: Gilbert Méténier
- Material: Grès
- Material: émail
- Colour: bleu cobalt
- Colour: ocre
- Colour: brun
- Colour: cuivre
- Period: années 1920
Specifications
ConditionGoodColorsBlue, GreenStyleArt Deco, Art Nouveau
Discover more
Seller information
About this seller
ProfessionalSaint symphorien des bois, FranceOn Whoppah since August 2026 • 0 sales