Ceramic Figurative Sculptures

Ballet Dancer. Rosenthal Selb Porcelain Manufactory. Model 1772 Porcelain figurine representing the ballet dancer Sybille Spalinger, made by the Rosenthal Art Department (Kunstabtei...

Miniature wall sculpture created by Ruth Vidal, currently part of the "Côte à Côte" exhibition at the Vilaño de Camariñas Lighthouse, on the Galician Costa da Morte. The artist focus...

Sidney Jimenez Bust with Floral Top (INV# NP5235) stoneware, underglaze, and glaze 10.75 × 9 × 5.5” 2024 signed Sydnie Jimenez is a ceramic artist whose work centers on the figures ...

David Shrigley I Must Rest My Rampage Is Over, 2022 Ceramic 8 1/2 × 6 1/2 × 7 9/10 in 21.6 × 16.5 × 20.1 cm Edition of 75 Published by DDT Signed and numbered on the COA The seller...

Testa 6 is a contemporary expressionist ceramic head from the ongoing Testas series of sculptural heads. Created in refractory stoneware, the piece is fired in reduction and subseque...

Attributed to Vally Wieselthier (Austrian-American, 1895-1945) Bust of Josephine Baker, c. 1930 Ceramic Stamped on base 11.5 x 5.5 x 5.5 inches Vally Wieselthier (1895 Vienna--1945 ...

This new work by Tal Nehoray is from her latest body of works called "Happy Pills". All are hand made with ceramic and hand painted with automotive paint. It is a combination of 3 ce...

Nephiline and manganese glazed Buño clay head sculpture channels organic textures and existential introspection in Aldonza’s evocative “Testas” series. Nephiline-Manganese Glazed Cer...

TUSCAN YIN/YANG PRISON is a stoneware clay sculpture with Butterscotch glaze by Brooklyn, New York artist Rene Murray. It measures 20"H x 25"W x 13"D. The ...

The Suitcase is a unique smoke-fired stoneware sculpture by French contemporary artist Cécile Raynal, dimensions are 43 × 60 × 20 cm (16.93 × 23.62 × 7.87 in). This sculpture is a u...

The ‘Goddess’ by visionary artist Alexander Ney was handcrafted using italian white terra cotta in 2019. Ney began his professional career as a highly productive visual artist, as a ...

Pablo Picasso, considered the greatest artist of the 20th Century, was a master of all art mediums. He collaborated with Madoura to produce editions of his painted ceramic works beginning in the 1940’s...

Waylande Gregory (American, 1905-1971) Polo Player, c. 1930s Ceramic Inscribed signature on bottom 11 x 8.5 inches Waylande Gregory was considered a major American sculptor during the 1930's, although he worked in ceramics, rather than in the more traditional bronze or marble. Exhibiting his ceramic works at such significant American venues for sculpture as the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City and at the venerable Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, he also showed his ceramic sculptures at leading New York City galleries. Gregory was the first modern ceramist to create large scale ceramic sculptures, some measuring more than 70 inches in height. Similar to the technique developed by the ancient Etruscans, he fired his monumental ceramic sculptures only once. Gregory was born in 1905 in Baxter Springs, Kansas and was something of a prodigy. Growing up on a ranch near a Cherokee reservation, Gregory first became interested in ceramics as a child during a native American burial that he had witnessed. He was also musically inclined. In fact, his mother had been a concert pianist and had given her son lessons. At eleven, he was enrolled as a student at the Kansas State Teacher's College, where he studied carpentry and crafts, including ceramics. Gregory's early development as a sculptor was shaped by the encouragement and instruction of Lorado Taft, who was considered both a major American sculptor as well as a leading American sculpture instructor. In fact, Taft's earlier students included such significant sculptors as Bessie Potter Vonnoh and Janet Scudder. But, Taft and his students had primarily worked in bronze or stone, not in clay; and, Gregory's earliest sculptural works were also not in ceramics. In 1924, Gregory moved to Chicago where he caught the attention of Taft. Gregory was invited by Taft to study with him privately for 18 months and to live and work with him at his famed "Midway Studios." The elegant studio was a complex of 13 rooms that overlooked a courtyard. Taft may have been responsible for getting the young man interested in creating large scale sculpture. However, by the 1920's, Taft's brand of academic sculpture was no longer considered progressive. Instead, Gregory was attracted to the latest trends appearing in the United States and Europe. In 1928 he visited Europe with Taft and other students. "Kid Gregory," as he was called, was soon hired by Guy Cowan, the founder of the Cowan Pottery in Cleveland, Ohio, to become the company's only full time employee. From 1928 to 1932, Gregory served as the chief designer and sculptor at the Cowan Pottery. Just as Gregory learned about the process of creating sculpture from Taft, he literally learned about ceramics from Cowan. Cowan was one of the first graduates of Alfred, the New York School of Clayworking and Ceramics. Alfred had one of the first programs in production pottery. Cowan may have known about pottery production, but he had limited sculptural skills, as he was lacking training in sculpture. The focus of the Cowan Pottery would be on limited edition, table top or mantle sculptures. Two of the most successful of these were Gregory's "Nautch Dancer," (fig. 1) and his "Burlesque Dancer," (fig. 2). He based both sculptures on the dancing of Gilda Gray, a Ziegfield Follies girl. Gilda Gray was of Polish origin and came to the United States as a child. By 1922, she would become one of the most popular stars in the Follies. After losing her assets in the stock market crash of 1929, she accepted other bookings outside of New York, including Cleveland, which was where Gregory first saw her onstage. She allowed Gregory to make sketches of her performances from the wings of the theatre. She explained to Gregory, "I'm too restless to pose." Gray became noted for her nautch dance, an East Indian folk dance. A nautch is a tight, fitted dress that would curl at the bottom and act like a hoop. This sculpture does not focus on Gray's face at all, but is more of a portrait of her nautch dance. It is very curvilinear, really made of a series of arches that connect in a most feminine way. Gregory created his "Burlesque Dancer" at about the same time as "Nautch Dancer." As with the "Nautch Dancer," he focused on the movements of the body rather than on a facial portrait of Gray. Although Gregory never revealed the identity of his model for "Burlesque Dancer," a clue to her identity is revealed in the sculpture's earlier title, "Shimmy Dance." The dancer who was credited for creating the shimmy dance was also Gilda Gray. According to dance legend, Gray introduced the shimmy when she sang the "Star Spangled Banner" and forgot some of the lyrics, so, in her embarrassment, started shaking her shoulders and hips but she did not move her legs. Such movement seems to relate to the "Burlesque Dancer" sculpture, where repeated triangular forms extend from the upper torso and hips. This rapid movement suggests the influence of Italian Futurism, as well as the planar motion of Alexander Archipenko, a sculptor whom Gregory much admired. The Cowan Pottery was a victim of the great depression, and in 1932, Gregory changed careers as a sculptor in the ceramics industry to that of an instructor at the Cranbrook Academy in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Cranbrook was perhaps the most prestigious place to study modern design in America. Its faculty included the architect Eliel Saarinen and sculptor Carl Milles. Although Gregory was only at Cranbrook for one and one half years, he created some of his finest works there, including his "Kansas Madonna" (fig. 3). But, after arriving at Cranbrook, the Gregory's had to face emerging financial pressures. Although Gregory and his wife were provided with complimentary lodgings, all other income had to stem from the sale of artworks and tuition from students that he, himself, had to solicit. Gregory had many people assisting him with production methods at the Cowan Pottery, but now worked largely by himself. And although he still used molds, especially in creating porcelain works, many of his major new sculptures would be unique and sculpted by hand, as is true of "Kansas Madonna." The scale of Gregory's works were getting notably larger at Cranbrook than at Cowan. Gregory left the surface of "Kansas Madonna" totally unglazed. Although some might object to using a religious title to depict a horse nursing its colt, it was considered one of Gregory's most successful works. In fact, it had a whole color page illustration in an article about ceramic sculpture titled, "The Art with the Inferiority Complex," Fortune Magazine, December, 1937. The article notes the sculpture was romantic and expressive and the sculpture was priced at $1,500.00; the most expensive sculpture in the article. Gregory was from Kansas, and "Kansas Madonna" should be considered a major sculptural document of Regionalism. Gregory and his wife Yolande moved to New Jersey in the summer of 1933. And the artist began construction on his new home in the Watchung Mountains of Bound Brook (Warren today) in 1938. His enormous, custom kiln was probably constructed at the start of 1938. Gregory's new sculptures were the largest ceramic sculptures in western art, in modern times. To create these works of ceramic virtuosity, the artist developed a "honeycomb" technique, in which an infrastructure of compartments was covered by a ceramic "skin." Science and atomic energy were a theme in Gregory's most significant work, the "Fountain of the Atom" (fig. 4), at the 1939 New York's World Fair. This major work included twelve monumental ceramic figures at the fairground entrance from the newly constructed railway entrance, giving the work great visibility and prominence. The framework of the fountain itself was of steel and glass bricks. It consisted of a bluish green pool which was sixty five feet in diameter. Above it were two concentric circular tiers, or terraces, as Gregory called them; the first wider than the second. On the first terrace were eight "Electrons," comprised of four male and four female terra cotta figures, each approximately 48 inches high. These relate to the valance shell of the atom. Above them on a narrower terrace, were the much larger and heavier terra cotta figures depicting the four elements, each averaging about 78 inches in height and weighing about a ton and a half. Of the four, "Water" and "Air" were male, while "Earth" and "Fire" were female. This terrace represents the nucleus of the atom. In the center of the fountain, above the "Elements," was a central shaft comprised of sixteen glass tubes from which water tumbled down from tier to tier. At the top, a colorful flame burned constantly. The glass block tiers were lit from within, the whole creating a glowing and gurgling effect. Since the fair was temporary, the figures could be removed after its closing. But the credit for the design of the structure of the fountain belongs to collaborator Nembhard Culin, who was responsible for several other structures on the fair grounds as well. Although Gregory created a figure of "Fire" for the "Fountain of the Atom," he also executed a second, slightly smaller but more defined version which he exhibited at various locations (including Cranbrook, Baltimore Museum, etc.) in 1940-1941, during the second year of the fair (fig.5). Measuring 61 inches in height, "Fire" may be a metaphor for sexual energy, as well as atomic energy. Gregory stated, "Fire is represented by an aquiline female figure being consumed in endless arabesques of flame." Portraiture was also a significant focus of Gregory's sculpture. Gregory produced many commissioned portraits of local people as well as celebrities. He created Albert Einstein's portrait from life (fig. 6, ca. 1940) after Einstein had seen Gregory's "Fountain of the Atom." He also sculpted some of the leading figures in entertainment, including 2 sculptures of Henry Fonda, who became a personal friend. Gregory also sculpted a series of idealized female heads, both in terra cotta and in porcelain. These include "Girl with Olive" (ca. 1932) and "Cretan Girl;"(ca. 1937) both are very reductive and almost abstract works that call to mind Constantine Brancusi's "Mademoiselle Pogany" (1912, Philadelphia Museum of Art). But perhaps one of his most original female heads is "Head of a Child" (fig. 7, ca. 1933), a sensitive white glazed terra cotta portrayal with elaborately crafted braded hair, was originally created as one of a pair. Gregory also produced sculptural works for the Works Progress Administration. The WPA was a work relief project that greatly helped artists during the great depression. Founded by the Federal Government in 1935, an estimated 2500 murals were produced. Among these public works were the iconic post office murals. But, among the painted murals were also sculptural relief murals including Gregory's "R.F.D.," 1938, for the Columbus, Kansas Post Office. But, Gregory's largest WPA relief...

Grayson Perry Piggy Bank, 2017 White ceramic piggy bank painted in blue and glazed, with a rubber stopper, contained in the original cardboard box.
 9 × 21 × 9 cm
 Grayson Perry is ...

Polar Bear by François POMPON (1855-1933) An original edition sculpture made in white enameled porcelain biscuit. Stamped in the paste "S 1927 DN" (S for "Sèvres" – dated 1927 – DN...

Terracotta sculpture - Venus. Italy, 18th century. 27 x 22 x 45 cm. Made entirely of terracotta. Depicting a bathing Venus (small crack on the foot). - This item is sold with a c...

Striking pair of French blanc de chine porcelain life size parrots or cockatoos casually perched on grapevines.

Pablo Picasso Corrida with Spectators, 1950 Original ceramic of Pablo Picasso, white faience earth and enamel Stamp on the Back : Empreinte originale Picasso - Madoura Plein Feu Lim...

Ceramic expressionist head sculpture created in refractory stoneware with a semi-transparent copper glaze. This ceramic head belongs to the Testas series, a body of work composed of ...

This new work by Tal Nehoray is from her latest body of works called "Happy Pills". All are hand made with ceramic and hand painted with automotive paint. It is a combination of 2 ce...

This deep green color glossy ceramic balloon sculpture is a balloon for life and an art collectors piece. Its Vivid glossy color enhances sophisticated and cheerful space environment...

Super cool sculpture with fluid style. About the artist: Los Angeles based artist Josh Mayhem gained recognition with his Blown Away aesthetic, transf...

PABLO PICASSO Tête de chèvre de profil (A.R. 145), June 5th, 1952 Ed. 250 pcs White earthenware, decoration with engobes under partial glaze with a brush 31.5 x 51.5 cm I 12 3/8n x ...

"SHURA CROSS BW" Ceramic Sculpture 10" x 6.5" inch by Grigorii Gorkovenko SHURA ceramic An elegant shape and free lines are combined together to create an image of the Russian matre...

The series "Venus Nostalgia" is a collection of sculptures inspired by the famous Venus de Milo, an emblematic work in the history of art that has had a great impact on Castello's wo...

Lupus is a unique smoke-fired stoneware, resin, plaster and clay sculpture by French contemporary artist Cécile Raynal, dimensions are 90 × 30 × 100 cm (35.4 × 11.8 × 39.3 in) This s...

Luis Miguel Valdes (Cuba, 1949) "Ceramic #14", 2017 Ceramic plate in Uriarte's Talavera 45 x 45 x 4.5 cm. (17.75 x 17.75 x 1.75 in.) Hand-signed by author ___________________________...

Alexsander Danel (Estonian, 1940-2001) Brutalist Panther Sculpture, 1996 Signed 'Danel' and 'Austin Sculpture' to back leg 13.5 x 16.5 inches Alexsander Danel was born in Estonia and graduated from both the Moscow Industrial Arts School and the Moscow Fine Arts Academy. He earned many awards and distinctions in the Soviet Union, including "Best Work of the Year" in 1973 for his monumental work commemorating the history of the Russian Wars, installed in Kirov. Alexsander Danel emigrated to the U.S. in 1976, after spending a year in Rome where he sculpted set designs for Fellini's "Cassanova" and the Napoli Theater production of "Aida". After settling in New York, he completed commissions for Rockefeller Plaza and Radio City Music Hall. In 1992, he held his first one person show exhibiting computer generated...

Cruchon Hibou 1955 Ed. 500 pcs White clay with blue, black and brown engobe painting, glazed with knife engraving H. 27.2 cm Inscribed and stamped underside : Edition Picasso, D'aprè...

After Philippe-Laurent Roland (French, 1746-1816) Bust of a Young Man, 1772 Terra cotta set on painted wood pedestal Signed and dated at back 16.5 x 11 x 8 inches Philippe-Laurent R...

Hannah Schelb Tokos(phobos) Shuttle Ceramic, Cone 5 Oxidation, Aluminum Wire, Kanthal Wire 2025 39.5 x 31.5 x 33 inches (100.3 x 80 x 83.82 cm) Signed COA provided *Assembly require...

Standout mid century Italian life size greyhound sitting on a pillow figure or sculpture crafted in terra cotta, hand decorated and glazed.

Linda Smith original totem

Chouette 1969 Ed. 127/250 pcs Earth of white faience, decoration with engobe engraved with the mirette under partial cover with the brush H. 27 cm Numbered and stamped underside : Ma...

Created in 1964, this red earthenware clay big rectangular plaque printed with engobe pad is #15 from the edition of 50. This work is stamped with the 'MADOURA PLEIN FEU’ and ‘EMPREINTE ORIGINALE DE PICASSO’ stamps on the reverse. Pablo Picasso Grande Tête De Femme Au Chapeau Orné (Woman’s Big Head with Decked Hat), 1964 A.R. 518 is a remarkable and beautiful work. It represents Picasso’s most important relationships at the time, namely his artistic partnership with the Ramiés and his romance with Jacqueline Roque. It is also notably one of two ceramic works Picasso has ever made of this scale. Picasso takes immense care in depicting this portrait of his greatest muse Jacqueline; its wonderful texture and delicate variations in line weight are testaments to the artist’s innate creative skill. Composed of a simple linear carved design in an earth tone clay plaque...

Familia del Mezcal - Mezcal Family Made with natural clay, copper wire and polychrome painting. Hand-modeled technique and cooked in an oven. LISTING =================================== 1 Ceramic Sculpture of a Mezcal Family =================================== DETAILS =================================== Time of Preparation: 2.5 months Made: Izuca de Matamoros, Puebla, México. Dimensions: 7" x 8" x 5" in or 17" x 20" x 13 cm Artisan: Taller Alfonso Castillo Orta...

Madoura round dish of white earthenware clay. From the edition of 100. Dish size 16.5 inches (diameter). Frame size approx 22 x 22 inches. Ramie 332. Inscribed 'C.100' and with ...

This gorgeous porcelain sculpture from Hutschenreuther porcelain is of two galloping horses, sculpted in exquisite detail and signed by the sculptor, Max Hermann Fritz...

Weigt of the sculpture 2,15 kg Monika Zadurska-Bielak, Graduated from the studio of Prof. Franciszek Duszeńko at the Faculty of Sculpture of the Acade...

Johnson Tsang Open Mind (Small), 2022 Ceramic plant pot with glazed interior and bespoke walnut wood stand 5 1/2 × 7 1/2 × 7 1/2 in 14 × 19.1 × 1...

The unique contemporary figurative sculptures of William Hung often express the human condition and are imbued with emotion. This striking piece, cast in ...

Artist: Pablo Picasso, Spanish (1881 - 1973) Title: Colombe sur lit de paille, (Dove on a Straw Bed) [Ramie 79 variant] Year: 1949 Medium: White earthenware clay, white enamel brushe...

Picador, Pablo Picasso, Ashtray, Design, Sculpture, Ceramic, White, Edition Picador Ed. 500 pcs 1952 White earthenware clay, oxidized paraffin decoration, white enamel D. 15.2 cm St...

Created in 1965, this terre de faïence sculpture with white slip is inscribed on the sculptural base with the atelier stamps ‘EDITION PICASSO’ and ‘MADOURA...

Jean Cocteau ( 1889 - 1963 ) Vé and Astrology ceramic's pendant : Vé : signed underneath White 1ere variant ( Terre blanche en relief ). page 212 Size: 7 x5.5 cm catalogue rai...

Artist Statement I absolutely love working with clay. Creating forms with a chunk of moist earth is a tangible way to cultivate beauty and delight. Through my work, I hope to touch ...

Her poetic porcelain plates examine and reimagine the history of art in a way that values ​​women not only in body, but in wholeness, power, and love. Focusing on the narrative quali...

Melanie Sherman Vintage Moth II (Hand-Painted, Gold Luster, Vintage Imagery) Porcelain, Glaze, Overglaze, Chinapaints, 24k German Gold Luster Year: 2025 Size: 4.5 x 6 x 0.5 inches Si...

Chope Visage, Picasso, Pitcher, Edition, 1950's, Design, earthenware, Figurative Chope Visage Ed. 300 pcs 1959 Earthenware clay, decoration in engobes, g...

Terracotta sculpture - Allegory of Vanity. Italy, 18th century. 17 x 12 x 42 cm high. Made entirely of terracotta. It depicts a bare-breasted girl holding a mirror and a cherub wit...

This ceramic head sculpture from the Testas series, titled Testa Nº12, is an expressionist exploration of the human face in refractory stoneware fired in reduction. The sculpture pre...

Jean Cocteau (1889 - 1963 ) " Visage " signed " jean Cocteau "( lower left ) inscribed and numbered 6/30 edition originale de jean Cocteau . Atelier Madeline -Jolly ( underneath...

This new work by Tal Nehoray is from her latest body of works called "Happy Pills". All are hand made with ceramic and hand painted with automotive paint. It is a combination of 3 ce...

Sublime ceramic wall panel by French ceramist Roger Capron

Leslie's public projects respond to site, history and the body. Figures are female or hermaphroditic, of imaginary descent, often melded with animal, architecture and plant forms. I ...

This large ceramic head sculpture, Testa nº 10, is part of the Testas series, a body of expressionist ceramic heads created in refractory stoneware and fired in reduction. The series...

Untitled #10 (female bust), 2016 from Los Infortunios De La Virtud series Antique porcelain bust with the intervention of oil, gold, silver, lea...

Jean Cocteau ( 1889 - 1963 ) " Tête d'Homme " . 1961 . Coupe 36 cm . Terre blanche Emaux : Bleu nuit , jaune et bordeaux . Tirage : initialement prévu à 25 exemplaires modifié ...

(MADE TO ORDER) (Hand-painted, hand-made, porcelain) *Lead Time may vary between 1-3 weeks Melanie Sherman Vintage Peacock II (Wall Piece/Dish (handpainted) Porcelain, Glaze, Overglaze, Chinapaints, 24k German Gold Luster, Brass Wire (for hanging, can be removed) Year: 2022 Size: 6x4.25x0.5in Signed by hand COA provided Ref.: 924802-1331 ------------------------ My ceramics are handmade and painted with the finest overglazes from Europe. The gold luster used is 24k liquid Gold from Germany. Every piece is unique. My imagery is inspired by vintage Meissen dinnerware...

Magdalena Suarez-Frimkess Venice Beach Cow (INV# NP4060) clay and glaze 4.75 x 6.25 x 2.5" 2018 signed by artist Magdalena Suarez Frimkess and Michael Frimkess began working togethe...