large Hand thrown stoneware vase by Jean Derval
Decorated with a stylised face to one side along with abstract geometric motifs
Vallauris, France circa 1950-60
Signed to the base (chip to the rim)

In the 1940s Jean Derval joined his friends Robert Picault and Roger Capron in Vallauris where they had created a pottery workshop. An elegant world of amateurs and artists was found at this time on the Côte d’Azur with Pablo Picasso at its center. Derval entered the famous Madoura workshop in 1949, where he rubbed shoulders with the Andalusian master for two years.