ODYV Figurative Sculptures

French Art Deco ceramic sculpture by BERLOT-MUSSIER (Vierzon, 1929-1939), France, 1930s. Young Lady among flowers in the style of René Buthaud in colored crackle glaze ceramic. Measu...

French Art Deco ceramic sculpture by BERLOT-MUSSIER (Vierzon, 1929-1939), France, 1930s. Measures: Height: 9"(23cm), Width : 16.9"(43cm), Depth: 4"(10.2cm). Marked "Odyv" under the base. The ODYV brand is a creation of the Berlot-Mussier manufacture in Vierzon near Bourges (Cher, France). Created in 1927 from the meeting of Mr. Berlot, a coal wholesaler, and Mr. Mussier, a coal salesman, the company first produced porcelain before specializing in the production of earthenware. Art Deco style, it is a great success for the manufacture. If production slows down sharply during the Second World War, exports to big families in North Africa allow the company to recover well after 1945. Becoming its majority outlet, Berlot-Mussier will experience great difficulties after the independence of the Morocco and Tunisia in 1956, but especially Algeria in 1962. In the 1970s, the company was drawn into bankruptcy, following a crisis affecting the entire sector in Vierzon. The ODYV brand is a set of Art Deco objects produced between 1929 and 1939. It includes clocks with pendants, vases, shaped pieces as well as lamp bases. Art Deco appeared in Paris in 1925, during the international decorative arts fair. This style, based on the simplification and geometrization of shapes, will be very successful during the 1930s and ensure great success for ODYV. The specificity of this collection is its adaptability to customers. Indeed, the colors but also the shapes are chosen by the customer who can then order a unique piece according to his tastes. Customers may hesitate between a choice of pastel colors such as shades of pale green, beige, white or pink, all accented with gold or silver. All these objects were distributed by independent distributors who worked with Berlot-Mussier. A book retracing the history of the factory was published by the Charles VII...