Majolica in the Movies: Charade

On Sunday afternoons I have a penchant for spending my time watching Turner Classic Movies while working on my computer. On this particular Sunday they were playing “Charade,” a movie I remember seeing in the theater when it was first released in 1965. I’ve always been a fan of both Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant so I’ve seen this movie numerous times. It is a suspense thriller often described as the best Hitchcock movie that Hitchcock never directed. It was directed instead by Stanley Donen.

The movie, which is set in France, follows a young widow whose husband is brutally murdered in the opening scene of the film. She soon discovers that he had been leading a double life and was murdered for $250,000 he supposedly had on him at the time of his murder. The problem is, the murderer could not find the money on the body so he goes after the man’s widow in search of it. Unfortunately she doesn’t know its whereabouts either. The bulk of the movie involves her evading a group of men looking to find the money and threatening to kill her if she doesn’t turn it over, The movie also stars Walter Matthau, James Coburn and George Kennedy.

Towards the climax of the film, Audrey Hepburn goes to visit an antiques dealer. As soon as she walks into the man’s office, a large, continental, majolica vase is visible sitting on the dealer’s shelf. 

It is a typical continental blackamoor vase, the type made by French and Austrian potteries towards the end of the 19th century. It is shown clearly in the background of the scene although there are no close-ups.

It is a piece that is instantly recognizable to me as I’ve seen it dozens of times over the years. It is part of a series of vases of Black children against tropical flora—always made as a boy and girl pair—that were potted in several different sizes. The detail on the large vases, which can reach 30”+ in height, is amazing. It is unfortunate that we cannot attribute these lovely pieces to a particular pottery.

Continental majolica vase

The matching pair to the vase shown in the above

photo taken from an auction listing.

It's a good movie full of twists, turns and red herrings with two old time movie stars the likes of which we will never see again.

To see more on collectible Black majolica memorabilia go here. To view the “Charade” trailer go here.