Vases inspired by prehistoric cave paintings head to auction

On September 12, 1940, 18-year-old Marcel Ravidat was walking with his dog on land owned by the La Rochefourcauld-Montbel family in the Dordogne region of southwestern France.

Investigating a hole left by an uprooted tree, the dog uncovered the entrance to a previously hidden space.

Ravidat later returned to the location with three friends, and they entered a 50-foot-deep shaft that led to a cave, 66 feet wide and 16 feet high.

Elizabeth Talbot of TW Gaze (Image: TW Gaze)

They discovered that the walls of the cave were covered with depictions of animals including horses, red deer, stags, bovines, felines and what appeared to be mythical creatures.

Subsequent studies by archaeologists revealed 600 painted and drawn animals and symbols, and nearly 1,500 engravings, which have since been judged to be 15,000-17,000 years old.

Only one human figure is depicted, and that has a bird-like head.

It is believed that the cave was used over a long period of time as a centre for hunting and religious rites and is now often referred to as the 'Sistine Chapel of Prehistory'.

The Lascaux grotto was opened to the public in 1948 but was closed in 1963 because artificial lights had faded the vivid colours of the paintings and caused algae to grow over some of them.

A replica of the Lascaux cave was opened nearby in 1983 and receives tens of thousands of visitors annually.

Meanwhile, in 1927, 13 years before the discovery of the cave, Alois Scheurich, a prominent figure in the ceramics industry, jointly established a company named Scheurich & Greulich (S&G) in Germany, which distributed low-cost ceramics and glass.

By 1954, the success of S&G allowed Scheurich to establish his own ceramics factory, Scheurich Keramikfabrik KG, utilising a pioneering electrical tunnel kiln.

His business became known for applying multiple glazes to a single shape or form, and was one of the largest manufacturers of ceramics in Germany from the 1950s to the 1980s - the West German Art Pottery era.

Bold shapes and brightly coloured glazes were a hallmark of the factory's work, with the 'fat lava' volcanic texture being one of the most popular finishes in the 1960s-1970s.

Bambus, Fabiola, Haro, Kascade, Lora, Amsterdam, Alska, Bernina, Foligna, Inka, Jura, Koralle, Kosmos, Prisma, and Tundra are all names used by the factory for their various distinctive decor series.

In 1972-1973, nearly 10 years after the Lascaux cave closed to the public, the company launched the Montignac series.

Named after the charming, cobbled village of Montignac in the Perigord Noir, the location of the Lascaux cave, it featured the fat lava glaze and a bold design inspired by the prehistoric cave paintings, incorporating hand-painted deer and bulls.

It was limited in production and is therefore comparatively rare.

The next Modern Design Sale to be held at TW Gaze Diss Auction Rooms on July 9 includes a collection of five various large Montignac floor vases, one with a loop handle.

Specialist valuer James Bassam said: "I have handled smaller examples of this design through my auctions in the past, but it is unusual to see such large pieces.

"The bigger vases suit the imitation wall-painting very well. Values will range from £30-£150."

The auction will contain the dynamic range of post-war furniture, furnishings, fabrics, jewellery, fine art, ceramics, glass, and ornamentals that make James’s sales popular.

Always colourful and exciting, the Modern Design Sales are a fantastic source of highly stylised, often unique pieces to delight collectors, galleries, and interior designers alike.

Please see twgaze.co.uk for the fully illustrated catalogue, as well as instructions about viewing and guidelines about bidding.