Antique French Faience Jam Jar Félix Potin - Paris 6¼"

"It's unbelievable — Art Nouveau, gorgeous," Patricia exclaims of the Felix Potin building on the rue de Rennes heading toward Montparnasse, a grand five-story monument to the golden age of French food retail, now occupied by Zara on the ground floor and offices above.

This cylindrical faience jam pot — a pot à confiture — was made to hold Felix Potin's fine preserves, and carries the brand's name and Paris address printed in deep sage green on a cream-glazed ground. The transfer-printed cartouche is a small masterpiece of Belle Époque graphic design: garlands, ribbons, a bow, and a blank medallion framed in scrollwork, all rendered with the confident decorative hand of the era.

From Patricia and Walter's Paris collection, these pots have become emblematic objects in the history of French food commerce and are now keenly sought by collectors. This one is entirely at home on a kitchen shelf holding wooden spoons near the stove, or corralling paintbrushes in a studio. On a bookshelf or windowsill, it simply brings a considered piece of Parisian history into a room.