René Buthaud

each painted with a three quarter length portrait of a naked young woman holding a book entitled `Codex' and a pestle and mortar, the reverse with a serpent above the inscription, `CE VASE A ÉTÉ EXECUTÉ POUR M_{^{R RIVIÈRE PHARMACIEN PAR R. BUTHAUD CÉRAMISTE A BORDEAUX MCMXXVIII'}}, flanked by a pair of stylised snake form handles and beneath conical cover with stepped knop

See footnote to previous lot.

Having trained as an engraver René Buthaud developed a keen eye for nature and the human form. In fact his first drawings as a child show remarkable talent, with an interest in landscapes and his parent’s collection of ceramics. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he was not a great admirer of the Impressionist style but was more interested in classical scenes, chalk drawings, the Ballets Russes and Greek Antiquity.

It was, however, not until his return to Bordeaux from the Western front following the First World War that he started experimenting with ceramics. The director of a small glass manufacture on the outskirts of Bordeaux offered him the use of his workshop and kiln and some advice. His first pieces were household pottery following the traditions of local potters. His decoration initially focused on floral motifs but soon he started to use human representations and showed an interest in Islamic pottery.

His breakthrough came on the day he showed one of his early pieces to a friend, Bissière, who in turn suggested some changes. Buthaud was inspired by these new ideas and produced a cup decorated with an Amazon. This was the beginning of his new passion for ceramics. His enthusiasm for experimentation was unstoppable when in 1919 he married Yvonne Rivière and built a kiln in the garden of his parents-in-law.  It is tantalising to note that the pharmacist for whom these jars and covers were made bore the same surname.

By 1925 Bordeaux was one of the foremost Art Deco inspired towns in France with Buthaud at its lead among the ceramicists. From 1928 until as late as 1961, he was a regular exhibitor at the influential Parisian Galerie Rouard where his pieces were found alongside works by, among others, Jean Dunand, Charles Linossier, René Lalique and Jean Puiforcat . Despite his growing fame he remained faithful to his home town of Bordeaux where he found solace and where he lived as a valued citizen who contributed greatly to its fame until his death in 1986.