Antique French Confit Pot, Pale Stoneware

Period: 19th century

Size: 8¾ inches tall, 10¼ inches across the handles, 6¼ inch opening

A large pale stoneware confit pot with two ribbed ear handles, oreilles, set at the shoulder and a full, heavy body. The clay is a soft oatmeal color, banded with throwing rings that circle the pot just below the handles. An incised 5 on the body marks the size, the way these were graded when they were made in quantity for kitchen use. The base is unglazed. There is a hairline on the body below the left handle, visible in the photos. Wear consistent with age and use, sold as found.

Historical Context

Confit pots take their name from the French confire, to preserve. They held cooked duck or goose packed under rendered fat, which is how meat was kept before refrigeration. Potters graded them by size and marked the number into the wet clay, so a pot could be ordered and replaced by its number rather than measured.

Styling Ideas

At this scale it holds its own on a counter or a hearth, empty or filled. The pale clay reads lighter than the glazed pots, so it works as the anchor in a group of darker ones, or on its own against wood.