Figurative Ceramic Coffee Table by Roger Capron, France, 1960s

This figurative coffee table was created by French ceramicist Roger Capron during the 1960s and is signed R. Capron within the ceramic composition. Capron settled in Vallauris in 1946 and became an important figure in the post-war revival of ceramics there, developing an approach that brought traditional ceramic techniques into dialogue with modern design. From the mid-1950s he increasingly explored ceramic tiles and furniture, and by 1963 his manufacture was concentrating on architectural tiles and ceramic tabletops.

The circular top is composed of individually decorated ceramic tiles arranged into a continuous figurative scene, populated by stylized human figures, animals, fruit and domestic motifs. Set within a dark wooden base, the ceramic surface transforms the functional tabletop into a graphic composition characteristic of Capron's interest in integrating ceramics with furniture. Signed Capron tables from circa 1960 and throughout the decade are documented in both wood-and-ceramic and ceramic-and-metal constructions, supporting the dating of this example to the 1960s.