French copper is everywhere at brocantes but occassionally you come across a piece that immediately stands out from the rest, this 19th century colander is one of those

These are rarities, I have only ever seen one other passoire,

Lovely worn example of the iconic SW France confit pot for preserving duck

This one has the classic yellow glaze with two small dabs of green on one side, timeworn by years and years of use just how they should be

10" high

The photos are showing it in straight from the Brocante condition,

With its unusual dark toffee speckled glaze and a slightly different shape from normal this lovely antique confit pot will make a interesting addition to a collection or look fabulous as part of a country kitchen display

It is timeworn which is how we prefer our confit pots to look,

Exactly how I like to see a confit pot, looking like it has been dug up out of an archaeological dig, there's just enough glaze hanging on to the worn away terracotta to give it a beautiful patina, including a rare splash of green

10"/26cm high  

We love the patina on this late 1800's double handled terracotta pottery jug or carafe wich would have been used to store wine, vinegar or oil or used as a water carrier

The slip glaze has crackled and produced a wonderful flaky effect,

Traditional set of storage canister in blue and white marble incorporating enamel labelling

Slightly chippy but not too battered, the lids on the Sucre and Epices may not be original, they fit perfectly but they are plain white,

This huge chunky pewter charger dating from the 19th century is a beauty, a fabulous French farmhouse staple showing all its history in its patina, dings and scratches, it would make a fabulous serving dish, cheese board or period touch to a country style décor

Fantastic dark antique patina as it is,

Superb quality large antique hemp linen cloth with a lovely woven diagonal stripe at each end and hand embroidered AC initials, this is large enough to have been used a a small table cloth, or it may have been a vendage (harvest time) cloth

Clean and in excellent condition

Measures 144cm by 91cm

Superb quality large antique hemp linen cloth with a lovely woven diagonal stripe at each end, this is large enough to have been used a a small table cloth, or it may have been a vendage (harvest time) cloth

Clean and in excellent condition

Measures 148cm by 94cm

Well used and battered with a great thickly layered patina this old galvanised paint bucket kettle is perfect for displaying your ollection of ancient worn paint brushes

19th century with a lovely patina and amazingly they still cut!!!

24cm long, the very tip of one blade is broken off

Humble rustic plain torchons made from locally grown, spun and woven hemp around the turn of the century

They have amazing character and as each one is hand produced no one of these cloths is the same, they all have beautful soft shades and texture,

Beautiful pair of forged dressmaking scissors with a good patina and they still cut

30cm long

There are two of these wonderful antique 19thc hemp linen cloths, with a fabulous variagated weave that gives it an appearance of being striped

Difficult to say the purpose of these, most likely ham cloths as they are heavy and solid,

Love a humble textile like this, its long history of use showing in every patch, and darn, and there are a great many on this hemp sack

A survivor from an age when nothing was to go to waste

Decorators galvanised paint kettle, battered and rusty, perfect patina for displaying a collection of old worn paintbrushes

Hand whittled out of a single piece of wood these simple primitive spoons were made by shepherds and farmers in the Pyrenees. One tale is they were for the Bergers to eat with, others call them dairy spoons for skimming cream from the milk

Either way they are beautiful ancient objects with great patina,

Beautiful had wrought livestock bell for goat or sheep from the mountains of the Pyrenees close to where we live

It has a wonderful aged patina and with it's original wooden clapper a sound evocative of the mountains

12cm tall

We can't resist a rusty rustic bygone, perfect for a quirky garden or home period display these 19th century sheep shears are a great conversation piece, hard to believe what a hard life 19th century country life in France would have been

34cm 13" long

So much better quality than anything that can be bought these days, a vintage garden tool looks good on display and is a joy to use

This short rake is all original with a long wooden handle with lovely worn blue paint finish and traces of the original green paint on the metal

In the Les Landes region to the west of us these hand thrown terracotta pots were used to tap pine resin for use in paints and varnish or to make turpentine

A cut was made in the bark and then these clay pots were tied underneath so the resin 'bled' into them

These are early ones,

So much better quality than anything you can buy these days, a vintage garden tool looks good on display and is a joy to use

All original handle and green paint finish

Part of a wonderful haul of unused farmhouse heirloom cloths all from the same vide maison, these four extra large torchons are superb quality, made from a thick textured handwoven hemp .

Each one has an amazing wide herringbone woven in stripe pattern at each end,

The iconic French rustic homespun torchon with a woven red stripe at each end and a small cross stitch initial JD hand embroidered on each. These are a superb floppy nubby hemp, worn in feel but in good condition

There are 9 available, the price is for one cloth only

Measurements 105cm by 62cm

They have been used,

There are 5 of these classic French torchons, made from a natural coloured cotton with a lovely diagonal weave and rustic texture

They appear to be unused and each one has two hanging tags, one at each end and hand embroidered MD initial

Measurements 89cm by 59cm 

Price is for one cloth, 5 available

Part of a wonderful haul of unused farmhouse heirloom cloths all from the same vide maison, these four torchons have a unique soft waffle honeycomb texture which makes them very absorbent.

Each one has been hand embroidered with her OB initials in high relief,

Part of a wonderful haul of unused farmhouse heirloom cloths all from the same vide maison, these two torchons are a classic utilitarian style for multiple uses, made from a rustic weave hemp fabric with a combination of two wide red stripes and two narrow running down both sides.

Part of a wonderful haul of unused farmhouse heirloom cloths all from the same vide maison, these twelve torchons are a classic utilitarian style for multiple uses so have no initials, made from a thick weave hemp fabric with a wide red stripe running down both sides.