Items Similar to Rare 1950s Gold Ceramic Mirror by Mithé Espelt, France
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 2
Mithé EspeltRare 1950s Gold Ceramic Mirror by Mithé Espelt, Francec. 1950
c. 1950
On Hold
$9,540.31
On Hold
£7,102.99
On Hold
€8,000
On Hold
CA$13,185.87
On Hold
A$14,019.31
On Hold
CHF 7,581.22
On Hold
MX$166,763.93
On Hold
NOK 94,965.53
On Hold
SEK 86,731.78
On Hold
DKK 60,958.01
About the Item
Rare and early 1950s ceramic mirror by Mithé Espelt, one of the most enigmatic and refined figures in 20th-century French decorative arts. This jewel-like piece features a richly textured ceramic frame, delicately enameled and enhanced with real gold fired at high temperature: a hallmark of Espelt’s signature technique. Its poetic form and shimmering glaze reflect her unique vision, positioned between modernist design, folk tradition, and dreamlike ornamentation.
Created in her Lunel atelier in the south of France, this model belongs to her rare early production, never mass-produced, though fully attributable by motif and technique.
Highly sought after by collectors of post-war French design, this mirror brings warmth, elegance, and a quiet sense of luxury to any interior: whether placed in a powder room, an entryway, or as part of a curated salon wall.
Mithé Espelt is a French ceramist whose work has long remained confidential, but is now enjoying a revival among 20th-century decorative arts and design collectors. Born in 1923 in Lunel, in the south of France, she grew up in an environment where art and crafts were central. After studying at the Beaux-Arts in Montpellier, she joined the artistic effervescence of Vallauris in the 1940s-1950s, a ceramics mecca where she rubbed shoulders with Pablo Picasso, Robert Picault and other major figures in the ceramics revival. Early on, she set herself apart by moving away from utilitarian pottery to explore more intimate, decorative forms. Far from the rustic ceramics and shiny glazes in vogue at the time, Mithé Espelt developed a singular technique combining finesse, texture and gilding. Her pieces, mainly mirrors, boxes, jewelry and small ornaments, are characterized by carefully worked surfaces and delicate graphic compositions. Her mirrors, undoubtedly her most emblematic works, do not just reflect an image: they become windows into a sensitive world, where gold, pastel hues and pure forms converse in harmony. Mithé Espelt has always cultivated a certain discretion. She did not sign her works, nor did she seek to enter the traditional art gallery circuit. Her creations were distributed on a confidential basis, notably by objets d'art boutiques and luxury houses. This absence of a signature contributed to her name going unrecognized for many years, even though her style was immediately recognizable. Today, her work is being rediscovered and appreciated for its singularity and timelessness. Her pieces, a combination of refined artistry and decorative art, embody discreet elegance and exceptional savoir-faire. Mithé Espelt reminds us that art can slip into everyday objects, transforming the simplest mirror into a work of art in its own right.
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Professional Seller
Every seller passes strict standards for authenticity and reliability
Established in 1991
1stDibs seller since 2021
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Paris, France
- Return Policy
More From This Seller
View AllFreeform Wall Mirror in Glazed Earthenware with Gold and Platinum
Located in Paris, FR
Exceptional freeform wall mirror by Mithé Espelt, France, circa 1948.
This highly rare piece is one of the earliest mirror designs by celebrated French ceramicist Mithé Espelt (1923...
Category
1940s More Art
Materials
Gold, Platinum
Yves Klein Small IKB Venus Brooch Sculpture Jewel in International Klein Blue
By Yves Klein
Located in Paris, FR
Yves Klein, Small IKB Venus Brooch
Bronze multiple, painted with International Klein Blue (IKB).
From a model created in 1956.
Edition of 500 copies + 100...
Category
1950s Nude Sculptures
Materials
Bronze, Gold Leaf
Untitled Blue Plate (IKB 54)
By Yves Klein
Located in Paris, FR
The Untitled Blue Plate, (IKB 54), was executed in 1957 at a pivotal moment in Yves Klein’s career, the same year in which he perfected the production of the colour-matter that he wo...
Category
2010s Modern More Art
Materials
Ceramic, Earthenware
Arman 100 Violins Original Edition with Bronze Violins Accumulated in Resin
By Arman
Located in Paris, FR
2004
Accumulation of miniature bronze violins embedded in polyester resin.
Edition of 99 copies + 20 AP + 20 HC + 30 I/XXX.
Signed and numbered in resin....
Category
Early 2000s Mixed Media
Materials
Bronze
Great Niçoise Compression of Different Metals Fixed on Wood Panel Wall Sculpture
By César Baldaccini
Located in Paris, FR
1970
Compression of different metals, fixed on panel
Signed, dated and situated in black felt marker at the bottom left side “César 1970 Nice”
Referenced in the Durand-Ruel Archives under No. 985
Unique artwork accompanied by the certificate from the Durand-Ruel Archives
H. 36 cm W. 20,5 cm D. 9 cm
Dimensions with panel: H. 60 cm W. 45,2 cm D. 4,8 cm
His parents, Omer and Leila Baldaccini, Italian of Tuscan origin, had a bar in Marseilles, where César was born in 1921 in the popular district of la Belle-de-Mai, at No. 71 rue Loubon, in the center. “I am basically an absolute autodidact,” he says. He first worked at his father’s, before attending in 1935 the courses of the School of Fine Arts in his hometown with his classmate Raymond Normand and, in 1943, the National School of Fine Arts in Paris with Michel Guino, Albert Féraud, Daniel David and Philippe Hiquily, like him in the studio of Marcel Gimond...
Category
1970s Post-War Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Metal
César Baldaccini (1921–1998) Compression, 1970, Unique Metal Sculpture
By César Baldaccini
Located in Paris, FR
César Baldaccini (1921–1998), one of the most important French sculptors of the 20th century, is internationally recognized for his radical and iconic Compressions. This 1970 Compres...
Category
1970s Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Metal
You May Also Like
My World is Full of Possibilities - Green
By Arica Hilton
Located in Chicago, IL
My World is Full of Possibilities - Green
2021
Mixed media, acrylic paint and archival print on acrylic, recycled plastic, gold leaf, and mirror.
Arica Hilton's "My World is Full o...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Materials
Gold Leaf
My World is Full of Possibilities - Black/Red
By Arica Hilton
Located in Chicago, IL
My World is Full of Possibilities - Black/Red
2021
Mixed media, acrylic paint and archival print on acrylic, recycled plastic, gold leaf, and mirror.
Arica Hilton's "My World is Fu...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Materials
Gold Leaf
My World is Full of Possibilities - Red/Green
By Arica Hilton
Located in Chicago, IL
My World is Full of Possibilities - Red/Green
2021
Mixed media, acrylic paint and archival print on acrylic, recycled plastic, gold leaf, and mirror.
Arica Hilton's "My World is Fu...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Materials
Gold Leaf
My World is Full of Possibilities - Green/Yellow
By Arica Hilton
Located in Chicago, IL
My World is Full of Possibilities - Green/Yellow
2021
Mixed media, acrylic paint and archival print on acrylic, recycled plastic, gold leaf, and mirror.
Arica Hilton's "My World is...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Materials
Gold Leaf
My World is Full of Possibilities - Blue
By Arica Hilton
Located in Chicago, IL
My World is Full of Possibilities - Blue
2021
Mixed media, acrylic paint and archival print on acrylic, recycled plastic, gold leaf, and mirror.
Arica Hilton's "My World is Full of...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Materials
Gold Leaf
Mixed Media Neo Expressionist Collage Assemblage Painting Sculpture Art Brut
By Loren Munk
Located in Surfside, FL
LOREN MUNK
(american b. 1951)
MUNKEY BUSINESS
Signed and dated 'Munk 84' verso, mixed media construction with paint brushes, mirrored mosaic tile, gold leaf and oil paint
57 x 33 x 23 in. (144.8 x 83.8 x 58.4cm)
Provenance: Malcolm Forbes collection
The artist Loren Munk (born 1951) is primarily known for his YouTube nickname James Kalm as an uploader of videos about New York exhibitions, amongst others. He presents himself as a maker of contemporary paintings for several decades and of cubist paintings of urban imagery. Munk has received accolades for his drawings and mosaics. He differs from traditional mosaic artists by the manner in which he incorporates glass into his decorative paintings. His unique and innovative use of materials such as mirror, gold-leaf and glass mosaic affirmed him as a founding force of Kitsch Art and a leading member of New York Neo-Expressionism.
Munk's work debuted in SoHo in 1981 with a double show at J. Fields Gallery and Gabrielle Bryers. Since then, he has overseen an international career. In addition to exhibiting in Brazil, France, Germany and the United States, Munk has received national and overseas, public and private commissions. He is well represented in important collections throughout Europe, South and North America and the Middle East.
Most recently, Munk has been producing a series of paintings which tackle the subject of art itself through a historical and diagrammatic lens. Munk documents the New York art world in YouTube videos, using the name James Kalm.
Timeline:
1979 Attended Art Students League, New York
1973-75 Attended University of Maryland at Ramstein, Germany while in US Army
1969-72 Attended Idaho State University, Pocatello, Idaho
1951 Born, Salt Lake City, Utah
Select Group Exhibitions
2018 “Under Erasure” curated by Heather and Raphael Rubinstein at Pierogi Gallery New York
2016 "It Was Never Linear: Recent Painting" at the Sheldon Museum of Art Lincoln Neb. with: Robert Bordo, Dawn Clements...
Category
1980s Neo-Expressionist Mixed Media
Materials
Gold Leaf
