Pair of Handmade Porcelain Olive Bowls with Pierced Rim

A pair of handmade porcelain olive bowls from Chanteduc, Patricia and Walter Wells's farmhouse in Vaison-la-Romaine — the kind of locally made find that rewards a sharp eye at a Provençal market or an artisan's studio. These two pieces lived in the "Marseille cabinet," a superb antique vitrine in the living room where favourite objects were kept not just for looking at, but for using. Each bowl is thrown in smooth, matte white porcelain with a gently rounded form. The upper rim is pierced with a scatter of circles in varying sizes — from small dots to larger open rounds — creating an airy, lace-like band around the top. It is decorative work that speaks to real skill: clean-edged, consistent, and clearly the work of a confident hand. A small cylindrical handle sits at the side, practical and entirely hand-formed. The cleverest detail, as Patricia explains, is that little cylindrical holder attached to the side — designed to hold your olive picks or a small fork. It is exactly the kind of thoughtful, practical invention that makes a simple object genuinely satisfying to use. Display them on a kitchen shelf or sideboard, ready to fill with olives, cornichons or small bites at aperitif time.