French Ceramic Ashtray for Hotel Martinez by Robert Picault

Robert Picault was born in Paris. After studying ceramics at the Ecole des Arts Appliqués in Paris, he moved to Vallauris at the end of World War Two. Here, with Roger Capron, he founded the Atelier Callis in 1946. Two years later, he set up his own pottery in the Chemin du Fournas in the village. He was a friend, colleague and next-door-neighbour to Pablo Picasso, and the two learnt from each other aspects of the other's specialities. Picault was also an accomplished cinematographer and photographer, and made a series of four short films with Picasso and leading show-business personalities of the 1950s. He used copper oxide and iron oxide in his glazes, and the bulk of his work is characterized by green and brown geometric motifs consisting of noughts and crosses, bands and waves.