What Is Pique Assiette
There is a long history of using discarded materials to create something new and beautiful. The art actually began with Roman artists adding broken glass and terracotta pieces to their works. In the Victorian Era “putty pots” were made. These were jugs, or plates covered with a layer of plaster or putty. Pieces damaged beyond repair with sentimental value were stuck into the putty. Hence, the term “memoryware” was created. In African funeral traditions, gravesites were decorated with possessions related to the life that had passed such as trinkets, ceramics and jewelry calling them “mourning vessels”.
On a more contemporary note, from 1938-1964, Raymond Isidore, a grave digger in Chartres, France obsessively embellished his home and garden with bits of salvaged pieces of pottery and colored glass shards. The people of his hometown called him the derogatory term “picassiette” which is roughly translated as “stolen plate” or “plate stealer”, (a scrounger for food). Clearly they were not inspired by his achievement. Isidore dedicated his entire life to this art form using found objects and eventually covering every inch of his home (interior and exterior), including the furnishings. Wouldn’t the neighbors be surprised to learn that Isidore’s “La Maison Picassiette” in Chartres, France today is admired by more than 30,000 visitors a year?
For a virtual tour of La Maison Picassiette go to:
http://www.france-voyage.com/travel-guide/picassiette-house-1048.htm
Make sure you visit Dark Roasted Blend.com for the genuis of Antonio Gaudi:
http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2008/07/architectural-genius-of-antoni-gaudi.html
Examples of Pique Assiette can be found the world over: Antonio Gaudi (Barcelona, Spain), Niki Saint Phalle (France) http://nikidesaintphalle.com, Simon Rodia’s Watts Towers (USA).
More of my favorite Pique Assiette/Mosaic websites:
http://www.truemosaics.com/index.html
http://www.mussimosaics.co.uk/
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