Beautiful Pair Of Large French Cast Iron Garden Urns Late 19th To Early 20th Century - 17¾"

This graceful pair of large French cast-iron garden urns dates from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century. Each features a broad campana form crowned with an unusually dramatic scalloped rim, which lends an elegant, almost delicate silhouette to the robust material. The bowls are deeply gadrooned and rise on fluted socles over square plinths, combining strength with graceful proportion. The surfaces retain a wonderfully chalky old white paint with areas of rust bloom and traces of moss and lichen along the rims and bases, creating a richly authentic patina.

These urns embody the era’s fascination with classical forms reinterpreted through the artistry of French foundries, which reached their height during the Belle Époque. The exuberant ruffled lip, far less common than straight everted rims, introduces a touch of Rococo revival exuberance while preserving the dignified campana profile so admired in grand terraces and public parks.

As a matched pair, they are superb for flanking a garden entry, stone steps, or a veranda, where they command attention and frame a space with distinction. They may be planted with clipped box, lavender, or trailing ivy for formal display, or left unplanted as sculptural ornaments that stand beautifully on their own. Their pale, chalky surface harmonizes effortlessly with limestone, weathered wood, and zinc, making them equally compelling in traditional gardens and in pared-back contemporary settings.