Vallauris oyster plates are among the most covetable objects to emerge from the golden age of French Riviera studio ceramics, and this example represents the form at its most dramatic. Six deep oyster wells in luminous mauve-purple radiate from a central lemon hollow, the entire surface between them covered in a smooth, glassy glaze in brown, turquoise and white — its volcanic bubble pattern frozen beneath the surface like a landscape seen through still water, the result of high-temperature firing chemistry that cannot be precisely replicated twice.The purple wells are generous and deeply pooled, the volcanic pattern between them unusually complex and deeply formed, yet perfectly smooth to the touch — a glaze of real technical accomplishment. The overall effect is somewhere between a rockpool and an aerial photograph of a volcanic landscape. It is a functional object that transcends its function — equally at home on a table set for oysters and Champagne as it is mounted on a wall or displayed on a shelf as a piece of ceramic art.Vallauris, the celebrated pottery town on the Côte d'Azur where Picasso famously worked from 1948, experienced its golden age of studio ceramics production in the 1950s and 1960s. This plate dates squarely from that peak period, individually hand-signed on the reverse — a mark of direct studio authorship that sets it apart from purely factory-produced examples — and carries the embossed Vallauris script mark. Two further examples from the same source are available individually in the shop, each with its own natural glaze variations and hand signature.Dimension: diameter 24.5 cm/ 9 1/2", height 2.75 cm/ 1". Weight: 640 g/ 1.41 lb