This authentic "paysan" rural piece of furniture, from around the foothills of Velay, is a testimony of the spirit of friendly mutual assistance among neighbours who went to one another's homes to do the "énoisage" all together during the late evening "velhada", sometimes improvising friendly little dances to the sound of clogs, "cabrettes" and accordions.

Larch wood table for cracking walnuts (énoisage) – 19th century – Haute-Loire – [MP051]

19ᵗʰ century, Auvergne, Country furniture, Country style table, Farmhouse table, Haute-Loire, Kitchen furniture, Popular art furniture, Table, The treasure corner, Wood species

A thick larch plateau from the foothill forests of Velay and, on each corner, kinds of amazing little hollows…Here we have a genuine “énoisage” table, perfectly designed to wedge the walnuts when snapping them with  the mallet called “tricote”, to prevent the nuts from rolling to the other end of the table.

Inseparable salt and flour boxes in walnut - 18th century - Provence - [MP025]

Inseparable salt and flour boxes in walnut – 18th century – Provence – [MP025]

18ᵗʰ century, Kitchen furniture, Late 18ᵗʰ century, Objects bearing history, Popular art furniture, Provence, Walnut

Inseparable salt and flour boxes in walnut – 18th century – Provence – [MP025] Inseparable salt and flour boxes in walnut – 18th century – Provence Let’s first describe how the kitchens of yesteryear used these two pretty boxes carved from walnut, the best wood for this purpose. When at rest they were hung up…

Three copper containers of exceptional size: an enormous kettle, the matching pie dish and an equally imposing pitcher. All are in red copper and date from the 18th century, a period during which they were manufactured using the same processes in the South West of France.

Kettle, Pie Dish and Decaliter Jug in Red Copper – 18th century – South West – [MP035] [MP036] [MP037]

18ᵗʰ century, Copper, Country furniture, Kettle, Kitchen furniture, Metal, Pie dish, Pitcher, Popular art furniture, Provincial art, South West of France, The treasure corner, Ustensils

It’s a bit like Gulliver’s dinette. On our scale, a huge teapot, a generous pie dish and a colossal milk jug. In reality, these everyday objects, hammered from sheets of red copper, have known the good times of a large wine-growing family in the Médoc in the 18th century. She used it for cooking, bathing and selling wine.

On remarque, sur ce modèle de gaufrier des motifs différents sur la plaquette de gauche, ornée de cœurs en vis-à-vis, et sur celle de droite, ornée de cœurs qui semblent cette fois-ci comme ouverts. Les deux plaquettes bénéficient tout autour de ces cœurs, de décors de volutes, de petites croix et de pointillés.

Waffle mold in wrought iron – 18th century – Périgord – [MP032]

18ᵗʰ century, Cake mold, Country furniture, Kitchen furniture, Metal, Périgord, Popular art furniture, Provincial art, The treasure corner, waffle iron, Wrought iron

“The Fight Between Carnival and Lent”, painted by Brueghel the Elder, 1559 – Collection: Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria. Detail of the painting by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, “The Fight Between Carnival and Lent”. We see a woman holding the waffle iron over the flame. With this type of waffle iron shaped by a blacksmith from…

Imperial oil jug – 19ᵗʰ century – Quercy – [PA072]

Imperial oil jug – 19ᵗʰ century – Quercy – [PA072]

19ᵗʰ century, Antique pottery, Jug, Kitchen furniture, Oil jug, Provincial art, Quercy, Terracotta

Among the jewels of the salesroom gallery Aux-Rois-Louis, emerges this astonishing pottery which immediately evokes a beauty in an evening dress. She advances, as if towards an opera box, dressed in her sequined black evening dress and sporting on her throat her prettiest long necklace composed of pearls in the shape of flowers, of which…

Walnut sideboard – 18ᵗʰ century – South-West – [MP030]

Walnut sideboard – 18ᵗʰ century – South-West – [MP030]

18ᵗʰ century, Country furniture, Kitchen furniture, Louis XIII, Louis XIV, Louis XV, Popular art furniture, Provincial art, Sideboard, South West of France, The treasure corner, Two-body sideboard, Walnut

Three Louis XIII, Louis XIV and Louis XV styles brought together in a single creation This sideboard offers us a rare vision: that of the three styles Louis XIII, Louis XIV and Louis XV brought together in a single creation. The sliding drawers adorned with diamonds are in the Louis XIII style The moldings that…

Terracotta ham pot – 19th century – Charente – [PA067]

Terracotta Jambonnière – 19th century – Charente – [PA067]

19ᵗʰ century, Antique pottery, Charentais, Jambonnière, Kitchen furniture, Terracotta

Terracotta ham pot – 19th century – Charente – [PA067] THE FLOWER BOX FOR FLOWERS THE KITCHEN STOVE FOR FOOD THE JAMBONNIERE FOR… HAMS! Let’s rediscover a made-to-measure utensil born of peasant common sense and the talent of the potters of Sainte-Eutrope. To make a success of your homemade raw ham, it’s both simple and…

Two oil jugs - late 18th century early 19th century - Lot Valley, Quercy - [PA062] [PA063]

Two oil jugs – late 18th century early 19th century – Lot Valley, Quercy – [PA062] [PA063]

Antique pottery, Early 19ᵗʰ century, Kitchen furniture, Late 18ᵗʰ century, Oil jar, Oil jug, Quercy, Terracotta, The treasure corner

The Aux-Rois-Louis sales gallery offers a vast collection of ancient pottery from Aquitaine, Auvergne and Midi-Pyrénées. Two oil jugs – late 18th century early 19th century – Lot Valley, Quercy We recognize in the roundness of these jugs an exuberant and sensual inspiration specific to the ancient Quercy potters’ centers. Several clues seem to indicate…

Walnut pantry cabinet - 19th century - Provence - [MP026]

Walnut pantry cabinet – 19th century – Provence – [MP026]

19ᵗʰ century, Country furniture, Kitchen cabinet, Kitchen furniture, Popular art furniture, Provence, Provincial art, The treasure corner, Walnut, Wardrobe

Walnut pantry cabinet – 19th century – Provence Called in its region of origin the “mangeadou”, this cabinet was intended for the storage of food in its upper part, ventilated for this purpose. In the lower part you could store dishes and kitchen utensils. In the middle, two drawers received the cutlery. We recognize on…

The crossbeams of the facade and sides, all scalloped, introduce roundness and emblematic charm to the Louis XV style.

Bourgeois jam cabinet in blond walnut – 18th century – Périgord – [ME064]

18ᵗʰ century, Buffet, Confiturier, Kitchen furniture, Louis XIV, Louis XV, Périgord, Period furniture, Small furniture, The treasure corner, Walnut

HISTORY OF THE CONFITURIER OR HOW GASTRONOMIC MORES INFLUENCE FURNITURE Bourgeois jam cabinet in blond walnut – XVIIIᵉ – Périgord – [ME064] The history of jam cabinets coincides with that of the arrival of sugar in homes. We are at the end of the 17th century and “white gold”, until then the preserve of apothecaries…

Jam cabinet in cheery – late 18th century – Périgord – [MP023]

Jam cabinet in cheery – late 18th century – Périgord – [MP023]

Buffet, Cherry wood, Confiturier, Country furniture, Kitchen furniture, Late 18ᵗʰ century, Périgord, Popular art furniture, Provincial art, Small furniture

THE FORGOTTEN FLAVORS OF OLD CONFITURIERS Jam cabinet in cheery – late 18th century – Périgord – [MP023] From the thirteenth to the nineteenth century, we preserved in honey, sugar or vinegar, all the wonders that we grew in gardens, orchards and vegetable gardens. The term “jams” (confitures) thus encompassed a wide variety of preparations…

Two water jugs – 19th century – Les Landes – [PA060] [PA061]

Two water jugs – 19th century – Les Landes – [PA060] [PA061]

19ᵗʰ century, Antique pottery, Head jug, Kitchen furniture, Landes, The treasure corner, Water jug

Two water jugs – 19th century – Les Landes [PA060] Of Spanish Basque inspiration, with a washer at the top of the spout to facilitate its grip, this jug has, around the top opening, an orange-colored glazed bib. [PA061] This head jug, also from the pottery center of Castandet in the Landes, presents a glazed…

Three water jugs – 19th century – Périgord – [PA055] [PA056] [PA057]

Three water jugs – 19th century – Périgord – [PA055] [PA056] [PA057]

19ᵗʰ century, Antique pottery, Kitchen furniture, Périgord, Water jug

Three water jugs – 19th century – Périgord – [PA055] [PA056] [PA057] Three water jugs – 19th century – Périgord These three water jugs were hand-turned in the 19th century by master potters from the famous Beauronne-Douzillac workshops in the heart of Périgord. They were dedicated to the use of water and wine for table…

Beech butcher's block - early 20th century - [MP022]

Beech butcher’s block – early 20ᵗʰ century – [MP022]

Beech, Butcher’s block, Craft furniture, Early 20ᵗʰ century, France, Kitchen furniture, Objects bearing history, Popular art furniture, Provincial art

Beech butcher's block – early 20th century – [MP022] Beech butcher’s block – early 20ᵗʰ centuryCERTAIN CRAFT FURNITURE RECALLS CHILDHOOD MEMORIES THAT ENCHANT YOUR HOME Haberdashery counter, clothier’s table, butcher’s block, all these pieces of furniture attached to the know-how of the artisans of our neighborhoods awaken happy memories in us. Those of a life…

Lamb-shaped mold used during Easter celebrations

Lamb-shaped mold in glazed earthenware – 19ᵗʰ century – South West – [PA051]

19ᵗʰ century, Antique pottery, Cake mold, Kitchen furniture, Mold, South West of France

Lamb-shaped mold in glazed earthenware – 19ᵗʰ century – South West – [PA051] Lamb-shaped mold used during Easter celebrations Lamb-shaped mold in glazed earthenware – 19ᵗʰ century – South West This type of zoomorphic-inspired mold was dedicated to making cookies and chocolates in the shape of a lamb for the Easter celebrations, in reference to…

Vaisselier dresser-drainer in cherrywood – 19ᵗʰ century – South West – [MP019]

Vaisselier dresser-drainer in cherrywood – 19ᵗʰ century – South West – [MP019]

19ᵗʰ century, Cherry wood, Credenzia, Dresser, Kitchen cabinet, Kitchen furniture, Popular art furniture, Provincial art, Small furniture, South West of France, The treasure corner

Vaisselier dresser-drainer in cherrywood – 19ᵗʰ century – South West – [MP019] Everything is scalloped curves in this discreet dresser which in fact fulfills two distinct missions. At the very bottom is the drainer on spaced slats while the three top shelves fulfill the function of display, the crockery being held by scalloped bars. In…

Louis XV style “homme-debout” in walnut - 18ᵗʰ century - Périgord - [ME043]

Louis XV style “homme-debout” in walnut – 18ᵗʰ century – Périgord – [ME043]

18ᵗʰ century, Homme-debout, Kitchen furniture, Louis XV, Périgord, Period furniture, Walnut, Wardrobe

Louis XV style “homme-debout” (standing man) intended to house earthenware dishes very popular in the 18ᵗʰ century Louis XV style “homme-debout” in walnut – 18ᵗʰ century – Périgord Centerpiece of the kitchens of large residences, this “homme-debout” was intended to receive and protect the earthenware crockery which, during the 18ᵗʰ century, managed to supplant pewter…

Louis XV walnut Provençal “panetière” – 18ᵗʰ century – South of France

Louis XV walnut Provençal “panetière” – 18ᵗʰ century – South of France [ME021]

18ᵗʰ century, Kitchen furniture, Louis XV, Panetière, Period furniture, Small furniture, South of France, Walnut

Louis XV walnut Provençal “panetière” – 18ᵗʰ century – South of France Looking like a beautiful miniature cathedral, this carefully crafted little piece of furniture as sometimes thought to be an element of church furniture. In fact, it is a highly prized food safe popular in Provence in the 18ᵗʰ century. Hung on a wall,…

Louis XIII kitchen cupboard 17ᵗʰ century – Haute‑Loire – [MP002]

Louis XIII kitchen cupboard 17ᵗʰ century – Haute‑Loire – [MP002]

17ᵗʰ century, Auvergne, Country furniture, Furnitures, Haute-Loire, Kitchen cabinet, Kitchen furniture, Louis XIII, Popular art furniture, Provincial art, The treasure corner

Louis XIII kitchen cupboard 17ᵗʰ century – Haute‑Loire This softwood cupboard used to take pride of place in the kitchen. A unique feature is its spacious drawers for storing bread. Beneath the drawers there is a pull-out breadboard. The doors have skeleton locks with a superb mechanism. The locks and knobs are the authentic originals.…