Antique French Stoneware Preserving Jar

Hand sourced by us in France, this old stoneware jar was made as a practical household vessel for storing and preserving food.

The simplicity is what makes it so good. It has a substantial straight-sided body, gently rounded shoulders and a thick rolled lip, all covered in a slightly uneven grey-cream glaze. Small speckles, firing marks and subtle variations in colour remain visible across the surface.

Near the base is the impressed maker's mark “A. Duquesne – Carvin”, linking the piece to Carvin in the Pas-de-Calais region of Northern France.

These utilitarian French pots translate brilliantly into modern kitchens. Fill it with wooden spoons beside the cooker, use it as a planter or simply add a loose bunch of garden flowers. Its neutral glaze also makes it particularly easy to mix with old wooden boards, terracotta and other pieces of French pottery.

Good antique condition with the knocks, marks, glaze variations and firing imperfections you'd expect from an old utilitarian piece. There is staining and wear around the lower section from previous use, which we've left as found.

Old French kitchen pottery is always high on our buying list, especially when it's this simple. No decoration, no fuss – just a really good shape, a soft old glaze and the original impressed maker's stamp. We'd fill it with a slightly unruly collection of wooden spoons and leave it beside the cooker.