Antique French Confit Pot w/ Rare Surviving Lid and Warm Orange Glaze - 12½"

This large French confit pot from Ardèche, dating to the late 19th or early 20th century, is hand-thrown in terracotta with a broad ovoid body tapering to a narrow foot and flanked by loop handles. The fitted lid is shallow-domed with a central knop, glazed to match the body. A rich autumnal orange glaze covers the upper section and lid, while the lower third is left unglazed with an engobe wash carried to the base, now deeply patinated with mottling from age and use.

The glazed areas show minor scuffs while the unglazed portion has developed a beautifully mottled patina over time; it is especially rare to find such jars with their original lid intact. Confit pots were essential storage vessels across southern France, used to preserve meat under a seal of fat. The glazed shoulder and interior resisted grease and eased cleaning, while the unglazed base allowed the pot to be buried in cool earth or stored in cellars for stable temperatures.

Potters in Ardèche produced sturdy terracotta with lead glazes in honey, amber, and this warm autumnal orange, often finishing the lower body in engobe to regulate porosity. Lids were commonly lost or broken through daily use, making complete examples like this highly desirable. Today, its scale and earthy palette and textured patina lend strong decorative presence, whether set on open kitchen shelving, grouped with green and mustard pottery for a collected vignette, or displayed on a console with branches or dried grasses.