Bruun Rasmussen, Copenhagen, April 15, 2005, lot 958

GLAZES FROM OUT OF NOWHERE: OUTSTANDING VESSELS BY AXEL SALTO

The Maharam collection comprises one of the most exceptional groupings of Axel Salto ceramics in the United States. The vessels in the collection share one common thread, Salto’s characteristic use of the highly sought-out Solfatara glaze, which grants each of these creations a defining palette of complex and stunning greens. The glaze was named after the sulfurous and semi-dormant volcano on the outskirts of Naples and was developed in the 1930s at Royal Copenhagen by H.A.L. Madslund and Nils Thorsson. Salto favored this difficult glaze, which works best on irregular forms like the ones comprising the present group and creates dazzling variations in color. The variety of forms and textures gathered here attests to the ceramist’s highly skilled practice and his predilection for organic and biomorphic silhouettes, blurring traditional distinctions between form and function. Salto was originally trained as an artist at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and took an early interest in modernism. After participating in the 1925 International Exhibition in Paris, he fully adopted ceramics as his primary medium of expression, quickly developing a recognizable and experimental style characterized by pieces of three types: fluted, sprouting and budding. In recent years, the fantastical world of Axel Salto received greater attention amongst ceramic and design enthusiasts and continues to inspire new generations of collectors around the world.