Trying to identify the M.Girbau who made this beautiful pottery wall plaque

I couldn't resist this when I saw it as it is very striking in the flesh - it is really heavy and with the wooden frame measures 45cm by 45cm while the pottery circle alone measures 29cm across. It has been mounted on hessian and this combined with the style makes me think 1970s. It is in beautiful condition apart from a chip on one of the 'waves'. You can see there is a metal name plate on the hessian reading 'M. GIRBAU'. I have googled this name and someone tipped me off that there is a Spanish potter with the name Monserrat Altet Girbau who is still working today. I have emailed them but received no response. I would dearly love to know more about the history of this piece.

Montserrat Girbau in Spain is the only one i could find too, but nothing else online. Hopefully he'll reply to your email

It does look very 70's with the hessian and also rather lovely :). Maybe a daft question but does it come away from the hessian i.e can we get a look at the underside at all?

Agreed, very '70s with that hessian. The Spanish artist is contemporary so may be too young to be the artist

So glad you like it :-). It has been glued very firmly and if i removed it i am pretty sure the hessian would rip and stay attached to it unfortunately. I used google to translate some text i found about the spanish Girbau and i think she has just retired from teaching at a uni so could potentially be an early work perhaps?

Is this this is the same Monserrat Girbau (b. 1951)?
http://www.todocoleccion.net/antiguedades/2-piezas-montserrat-girbau-valls-ceramista-nacida-castellar-valles-barcelona-1951~x45706351

The work is obviously very different. But the text does mention "relief murals", and says that she worked with a painter and ceramicist called  Xavier Caba Company (a person, not, well, a company). And he certainly made plaques which were framed with a hessian backing. Albeit, if this example is anything to by, of a rather more conventionally pictorial kind:
http://www.todocoleccion.net/varios-objetos-arte/ceramica-gres-bajorelieve-artista-xavier-caba-company-castellar-valles-1928-96~x40888107#sobre_el_lote

This is fascinating and i am really bowled over by how much you have tracked down. It is the Girbau i was thinking of and it does seem a big coincidence that Company created plaques with a hessian backing. I think i will try emailing her again - now you have come so far it would be great to be able to confirm it. Thanks very much and if i learn anymore i will share it here.