19th-century confit pot w/ yellow-ochre glaze - southwest France 10¾"

This classic French confit pot with yellow-ochre glaze is from southwest France and dates from the late nineteenth century. It has a charming yellow glaze and deep natural clay-colored base. Note that the pretty tapered base is unglazed. Confit pots were half-glazed for two reasons. Firstly to stop rodents being able to grip onto the surface of the pot and help themselves to the contents. Secondly, they were glazed inside and the top half of the outside to keep the pot cool through evaporation. Pots were often buried in the ground of the cellar to preserve the contents - usually meat that was sealed with a layer of fat.

Today, this delightful piece is a lovely way to add a touch of Provence to your interiors or to enhance an existing collection of French pottery. If using for flowers, we recommend placing a container inside the pot first in case of condensation.