Antique French Majolica Absinthe Pitcher Arte Nouveau

  

FRENCH VINTAGE LINENS AND ANTIQUES. Where You Will Find Beautiful & Unusual Vintage Linens & Apparel and Antiques from France. This is one such item. Antique French Majolica Absinthe Pitcher Arte Nouveau. Arte Nouveau Majolica Antique Pitcher.

This very rare and highly collectible antique French Absinthe water pitcher was made for the Rieuz family, longtime owners of the Hostelliere de St Antoine in Albi. This hotel still exists in the famous French town of Albi and is one of the oldest hotels in all of France. Anthony The Great, born in Egypt in 251, is considered the founder of hermit life. He was the son of a rich Christian family and followed the gospel literally, giving all of his worldly goods to the poor and going to live as a hermit in the desert.

There he went through various temptations by the devil that he was able to resist. The life of Saint Anthony and his temptations have inspired numerous artists such as Tiepolo, Bosch, Bruegel, Cézanne or Dalias well as the Antonine Order. But this pitcher was obviously made for this particular hotel in Albi and therefore must have been a very limited edition. Of classic Arte Nouveau design, it dates from around the turn of the last century. This pitcher is made of porcelain and is glazed in celadon green on the outside and blood red on the inside.

It is decorated with reclining ladies in a state of undress along the sides of the spout. Below the spout is the'Green Fairy' of absinthe-fame herself. Antony and his emblematic pig, the devil who tempted him, and a satyr embracing another young lady, all surrounded by swirling'arte nouveau' style drapery. As well the words "Hostellierie du St Antoine" appear along the sides just below the handle and the family name'Rieuz' and'Albi' are under the handle. The condition of this pitcher is very good. It has no chips and one hairline to the body extending 2 inches to the head of the devil.

There is a small'faute de cuisson' or firing fault at the top of the spout. There is some minor crazing of the glaze but all in all the condition is remarkably good for such an old survivor from the turn of the last century. This is a charming and rare collectors item would be the'jewel in the crown' for any collector of Absinthe memorabilia. 10 1/4 inches high from the base to the top of the spout.

The base diameter is approx. A truly charming and elegant'old-fashioned piece of French history...

Your parcel will be professionally packed using re-cycleable materials only. So far we have had 100% satisfaction with our items. Please take a minute to have a look at our Feedback. To that end we make every effort to describe our items accurately and fully and to note any small flaws which are inevitable in these vintage and antique items. We welcome and encourage your questions regarding measurements, condition, etc.

Also please see our Comments on Condition and Pricing below. We are a fully liscensed and legal business in France. Our Siret Number is 502590573.00015. Comments on the Condition of the items I sell. Virtually all the items I sell are "vintage" which means they have, in the majority of cases, been used, and are at least 50 to 75, and even more than 100 years old. Having said that, I do not sell items that are so used that they are obviously heavily worn, faded or too fragile to use. Almost all my items were made by hand in France during the first half of the last century--most would date from between 1890 and 1950, although it is quite difficult to be certain of an exact date in most cases. It would be quite unusual to find this kind of fine hand work in France after about 1960.

Again because these items are Vintage they have, in the vast majority of cases, been used. Still it is inevitable that occasionally there may be a hardly noticable tiny pin dot stain or a tiny rend on any given item. I always carefully launder and iron my items and in doing so inspect them carefully for a second time. If I notice a small flaw on an item I put that in my description.

It is my hope that my customers understand that I would not and do not sell items which are not clean or have evident large stains or tears. But please do understand that because the items I sell are Vintage, and usually are at least 50 to 75 years old, they are rarely absolutely "pristine and perfect" as if they were new. Like all fine antiques, they will have their own sort of patina.

Some sellers do sell these vintage items in the state in which they find them and of course they inform their customers of that fact. Because the items I sell are generally much sought after here in France and abroad, they are becoming more rare, and certainly more difficult to find.

I travel far and wide in my region of France to visit flea markets, brocantes, antique shops and private sellers. I visit Paris from time to time, and I search for these rare items in other areas of France when possible. My travel costs to seek out new items are significant. Finally and very importantly for my customers, I spend a great deal of time laundering and ironing the items we sell.

This always involves lots of energy and time and often requires specialized laundry products which can be costly. For all these reasons, the prices of these vintage items may seem a bit high--but the fact is that almost all these items are rare and special. Many are virtual works of art, (some are actually of museum quality), having been made entirely by hand by highly skilled, but sadly now unknown, seamstresses and embroiderers. These skilled craftswomen have all but entirely disappeared.

This kind of French hand work is virtually a Lost Art. Still I do my best to keep my prices as reasonable as possible because it really is a great pleasure to package something very beautiful and very special and send it off to someone who will appreciate a lovely European Treasure From the Past.

VINTAGE FRENCH LINENS AND ANTIQUES. Come back soon and do. And be sure to add me to your favorites list. The item "Antique French Majolica Absinthe Pitcher Arte Nouveau" is in sale since Saturday, August 4, 2018. This item is in the category "Antiques\Decorative Arts\Ceramics & Porcelain\Other Antique Ceramics".

The seller is "2007nanb" and is located in Castelnau de Guers. This item can be shipped worldwide.

• Style: Art Nouveau
• Age: Art Nouveau
• Primary Material: Ceramic & Porcelain
• Original/Reproduction: Original
• Type: Jug
• Color: Celadon Green
• Country/Region of Origin: France