Discovered in a Provençal brocante, this 19th century earthenware colander or passoire à fruits has the most remarkable glaze. A true collector's piece of tactile French country pottery.
 
Generously rounded, hand formed strainer, it has the character and individuality beloved of traditional artisan domestic pottery formed from local red clay.
 
Its deep, pierced bowl is finished in a richly layered glaze of olive green, golden ochre with glimpses of the warm terracotta beneath  emerging through the surface.
 
The glaze has a wonderfully organic quality, pooling and shifting across the rounded form in a manner that makes the piece quite unlike the more familiar examples of French kitchen pottery.
 
The base has a cross added in the darkest green glaze. The inside has a spotted design, reminiscent of the jaspé work from this area.
 
The thick terracotta handle remains unglazed, providing a pleasing contrast to the lustrous surface of the bowl. It has a hole through at the end to enable it to be hung.
 
Made for practical use in a French kitchen, it has an honesty of form and a depth of colour that make it equally compelling as a decorative object today. There are minor signs of use and wear but overall in a remarkably well preserved condition for its age.
 
Displayed on open kitchen shelving, on a dresser or amongst a collection of antique ceramics, it would bring an authentic note of French country character to an interior.
 
It is  12" long in total, 8" wide and 3.25" deep