Christie's launches its annual auction of Picasso Ceramics on June 18 in London, following the record-breaking success of its sale of the Madoura Collection of Picasso Ceramics in 2012.
 The plate is unique as the only example produced in gold, while a further 20 were made in silver |
The auction will offer the artist's typically bold and beautiful pottery with estimates ranging from just £100 to £150,000 ($155-233,500).
The top lot of the sale is a plate entitled "Visage tourmente", which is the only edition ever made in gold. First conceived in 1956 and featuring its original wooden case, it will sell with a £100,000-150,000 ($155,900-233,850) estimate.
Christie's Michelle McMullan commented: "The last few years, with the increased buzz around the sales as well as greater academic and curatorial interest in this important area of the artist's working life - he spent 25 years continuously work in this medium - has seen the market for the ceramic editions continuing to grow even more than we anticipated.
"It was always Picasso's intention that his ceramics should be accessible, hence the creation of editions of up to 500. The introduction of our annual sale aims to allow more collectors to enjoy these fun and beautiful objects."
