René Buthaud

A classical urn-shaped vase with a swirling peau-de-serpent (snakeskin)-glaze. Remnant of signature to underside.

René Buthaud, who trained in the fine arts at the École de Beaux Arts (and later went on to winn a Prix de Rome), was encouraged in his interest in decor— in particular, in ceramics—by the great Art Deco master Jean Dupas. This is, perhaps, why he always considered his pieces works of art, rather than mere objets. For many years he ran the ceramics division of the Primavera at Au Printemps, and in the late 1920s began selling his works at the popular Maison Georges Rouard, a vendor on the Rue de l’Opéra.