Small French Wirework Grille Late 19th Century Provence

An antique round wirework trivet from the main house at Chanteduc, long displayed on the rangehood in Patricia Wells’s signature yellow kitchen. One of a collection that she gathered over the years, it was found at the Sunday brocante (flea market) in Vaison. Patricia recalls, “I was told that these light metal pieces were made by prisoners in jails,” a story that suits her eye for honest, useful craft and the quiet poetry of everyday tools. Offered from her personal collection, it reflects the intelligent simplicity at the heart of her cooking, teaching, and life between Paris and Provence. Handmade with fine iron wire, the circular top forms a simple lattice within a hand-twisted rim, braced by an X at center and lifted on four curled, airy feet. The surface carries a mellow iron-brown patina with gentle oxidation; a small break on one foot speaks to its working life while remaining visually balanced. Low and broad, about the span of a dinner plate, it feels light yet sturdy in the hand. Let it stand beside the cooker as a trivet for a Dutch oven or gratin, cool a rustic tart, or serve as a quiet pedestal for a candle or a pot of thyme in the garden.