Ida Chagall's white and blue wedding service from Madoura studio

09/26/2024 - 

Ambre Gauthier

For his daughter Ida’s marriage to Franz Meyer on January 19, 19521, Chagall created a one-off wedding service at the Madoura studio in Vallauris. Dedicated “Pour Ida de son papa” (“For Ida, from her papa”), the 77-piece set2 is based on traditional Provençal tableware, including dishes, soup tureens, gravy boats, plates, bowls, cups and saucers. Light, graphic cobalt blue and burnt Siena designs stand out against a monochrome white glaze on thick clay. The pieces’ simple, elegant shapes are complemented by the vibrant, sketched, almost calligraphic decorations painted by Chagall, who gave free rein to his imagination and the fluidity of movement. The decoration seems spontaneous, an effect very different from that found on Chinese blue and white ceramics3. It features circus scenes  (Ida Chagall’s wedding service: saucer 9: Circus Rider at the Eiffel Tower [Service de mariage d’Ida Chagall : sous-tasse 9 : Ecuyère à la tour Eiffel] (1951)), tender lovers  (Ida Chagall’s wedding service: saucer 4: Lovers in Moonlight [Service de mariage d’Ida Chagall : sous-tasse 4 : Amoureux au clair de lune] (1951)), hybrid animals reminiscent of Russian folk art (Ida Chagall’s wedding service: salad bowl: Nude with Fish-Goat [Service de mariage d’Ida Chagall : saladier : Nu au bouc-poisson] (1951)) and offbeat, sometimes funny scenes with a lively sense of humor (Ida Chagall’s wedding service: relish dish 1: Lovers with Fan [Service de mariage d’Ida Chagall : ravier 1 : Amoureux à l'éventail] (1951)) ; (Ida Chagall’s wedding service: saucer 10: Eyes in Flowers [Service de mariage d’Ida Chagall : sous-tasse 10 : Le regard dans les fleurs] (1951)). The decoration is similar to the prints and drawings of the early 1950s. Remarkable for their brisk, free-flowing style, Chagall wanted the scenes to be a snapshot celebrating life. The dishes feature surprising decorations inviting the wedding guests into a mischievous, heart-warming world that enhances the taste experience. A subtle, harmonious tribute to his daughter, the service is a rare example of functional tableware created by Chagall. It was actually used during the wedding and other receptions.

See the 77 pieces in Marc Chagall's catalogue raisonné

1 Art historian and curator Franz Meyer (1919-2007) was director of the Kunsthalle in Berne and, later, the Museum of Fine Arts in Basel. 

2 77 pieces listed to date.

3 Blue and white ceramics were produced in China during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and exported to Europe and Japan. The decoration features stylised flowers, grapes, waves, lotus scrolls, vine leaves, reeds, fruit and other motifs also found in paintings and textiles from the same period. Invoices from the Achille Weber bookshop in Paris, held in the Marc and Ida Chagall Archives, shed light on Chagall’s book orders. An invoice for books on Chinese and Japanese painting dated November 30, 1962 shows his interest in Asian art.

 

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