80. Roger Somville - Glazed ceramic dish: Scene from the Ducasse de Mons
Roger SOMVILLE (Schaerbeek, 1923 - Tervuren, 2014)
Scene from the Ducasse de Mons, Chinchin
Glazed ceramic dish
48.5 x 35.5 cm
Estimate: €600 - 800
Provenance: Belgian private collection
The Dour ceramics workshop was founded after the Second World War under the impetus of Georges Boulmant and Zéphir Busine, with the support of the Douro brewer and patron Émile Cavenaile. In 1951, Roger Somville took over as director and defined a clear artistic line: " Aesthetic spirit: creating and using simple shapes. Decoration: drawing inspiration from human life, work, struggles, fauna, flora, etc. Fold and inscribe the decoration into the shape of the object to be decorated to create a complete unity between shape and decoration. We frankly directed our work in the direction of legible and fairly realistic art."
It was with this in mind that, in 1958, he produced a piece that was both striking and rare in terms of its subject matter: a dish illustrating a scene from the Ducasse de Mons or "Ducasse of Mons". Doudou. More specifically, the drawing depicts a Chinchin, an ally of Saint George in his fight against the dragon. He is carrying the bladders stolen from the little Lumeçons.
This work perfectly reflects the principles defended by Somville: art inspired by popular life and traditions, expressed in a simple, legible form. He uses a palette of bright colours - red, yellow and green - characteristic of the Doudou, reinforcing the dynamism and visual richness of this emblematic festival of Walloon folklore.
Bibliography:
Serge Goyens de Heusch (ed.), XXe siècle. L'art en Wallonie, Brussels/Tournai, Dexia/La Renaissance du livre, 2001.
Anne Van Loor, La céramique de Dour, 2022. [consulted March 2025 on rogersomville.com]
Expertise: Terrana Antiques and Fine Arts
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Start of auction
21 May 2025 at 10.00 am
End of auction
Le 28 mai 2025 à 13h57
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