Rare 19th-Century Provençal Pottery Centerpiece - 15¼"

This rare 19th-century Provençal earthenware centerpiece, possibly from the Apt region, has a beautiful flower-like shape, with a polylobed outline and an intricate openwork gallery running around the edge. The gallery is particularly remarkable for its delicate handwork, with individual strands of clay carefully shaped into curling scrolls and assembled to form a continuous pattern. Small molded masks punctuate the decoration at the inner junction of each petal. A smaller circular gallery rises from the center, repeating the same delicate ornament. The whole piece is finished in a warm honey-yellow glaze, with subtle variations in tone, darker accents where the glaze has pooled, and a fine network of crazing. There are a few small chips and age marks, and no maker's mark is present. Removable felt pads have been added underneath.

Pieces like this were designed to adorn the dining table, presenting fruit, sweets or other delicacies in an attractive arrangement. The raised central gallery may originally have held a small vase or another serving vessel. With its playful scalloped shape, intricate handwork and mellow golden glaze, this is a particularly appealing example of old Provençal pottery. Today, it would make a beautiful centerpiece on a dining table, arranged with seasonal fruit and a small bouquet of dried flowers in the central gallery.