Jean Marais, the actor turned ceramist

Jean Marais (1913-1998), the face of 1940s French cinema, Cocteau's lover, the Beast of Beauty and the Beast, spent the second half of his life shaping clay. Settled in Vallauris in the 1970s, the actor became ceramist, sculptor, potter. His sculptural work, long eclipsed by his screen fame, is now being rediscovered: stylised faces, animal sculptures, sculptural vases, glazed dishes. Each piece signed Marais bears the mark of a man who wanted to keep creating until his last day.

Jean Marais pottery, particularly his animal sculptures and face-vases, are now collectors' pieces. Prices climb as the actor's ceramic work is reassessed by Vallauris enthusiasts. To find for what it is: a fragment of French cultural history.