Antique French Walnut Oil Jug, Mélard à Bec, Green Glaze

Period: Late 18th century, French

Size: 16¼ inches tall, 13 inches wide

A large terracotta walnut oil jug, a mélard à bec, with three arched strap handles at the shoulder, a short pouring spout set on a flared collar, and a narrow neck with a thick rolled rim, its edge notched all the way round. Raised ribs run down the full body in vertical bands. The lead glaze is a mottled olive green that shifts to ochre and brown where it runs thin, and it has developed an iridescent sheen across the shoulder. Inside the neck the red clay is bare. All three handles and the spout are intact. The glaze has flaked over much of the surface, exposing red clay in scattered patches and most heavily around the lower body and rim, and there is chipping to the rim and spout tip. Wear consistent with age and use, sold as found.

Historical Context

Jugs like this held walnut oil, the everyday cooking oil across central France, Auvergne, Limousin and the Périgord, where walnut trees grew and olives did not. A full jug was heavy, so potters gave them three handles, two to carry and one to tip, and a spout for pouring without lifting the whole thing off the floor. The ribs were applied by hand in wet clay, and the green comes from copper in the lead glaze, fired over red earthenware.

Styling Ideas

This is a floor or hearth piece. Stand it beside a fireplace, at the foot of a staircase, or on a stone floor in an entry. It takes tall branches in a kitchen or dining room, and on a deep console it holds the room on its own.