Mithé Espelt Glazed Ceramic and Wood Box with Repeating Floral Pattern

Decorative lidded box designed by Mithé Espelt, France, circa 1960s. This example features a hand-glazed ceramic lid mounted on a minimalist stained wood base, showcasing Espelt's refined decorative language and mastery of ceramic relief work.

The ceramic top is finished in a rich emerald-green glaze and ornamented with a repeating pattern of stylized white floral forms and elongated leaves in muted olive tones. The rhythmic, grid-like composition lends the piece a graphic clarity that contrasts elegantly with the softness of the botanical motif. Subtle variations in glaze pooling and relief height enhance the handcrafted character of the surface.

The restrained wooden base grounds the composition and highlights the ceramic lid as the focal point, reflecting Espelt's sensitivity to balance between ornament and structure.

Bibliography: Mithé Espelt, the discreet luxury of the everyday

Marie Thérèse Espelt, aka. Mithé Espelt (1923-2020)
Born in the town of Lunel, near Montpelier; Mithé Espelt began her career in 1943 creating ceramic buttons for haute couture collections at the Nathalie Pol and Lydia Chartier's atelier in Paris. In 1946 she decided to return to her hometown and set up her ceramic workshop in an annex building next to the hotel de Bernis that she had inherited from her grandfather. She married the lawyer Maurice Figère, who decided to leave his career aside and follow her in her artistic work. The choice of an artistic life allow them to travel and get inspiration from other cultures, something that is palpable on her works. She made everyday objects such as jewelry boxes necklaces, mirrors and other home accessories, and never signed them, as she wanted them to remain accessible to all publics. Today Mithé's work are recognizable by the quality of their craftmanship. Her pieces are often made with crackled gold enamels and colored glass inlays, which were a technical challenges requesting several rounds in the kelns and hours on the work stations. Mithé Espelt worked until the year 2000. Her workshop continues to exist but is now run by her daughter, Marion de Crécy.