Sotheby's London is offering "Important Ceramics by Pablo Picasso" on May 7, featuring 170 lots of Picasso ceramics ranging in estimates from under $1,000 to just over $100,000. The sale includes characterful plates, vases, jugs, bowls and tiles designed by Picasso, depicting a range of classical and mythical forms alongside portraits of animals and people, as well as linocuts from this period.

The years Picasso spent in the region are understood to have been among the happiest of his life. At Madoura, he met his future wife and famed muse Jacqueline Roque, who was to remain his partner for over 20 years until his death in 1973. During his first year at the pottery, Picasso and his lover Francoise Gilot welcomed a son, Claude, who shared his name with the Patron Saint of Potters.
Since the Royal Academy's flagship exhibition of Picasso's ceramics in 1998 there has been a renewed appreciation for the artist's experimentations with this art form. An exhibition currently on view in Sevres until 19 May - Picasso, Ceramicist, and the Mediterranean - is the biggest ever dedicated to Picasso's ceramics.