Exceptional pieces

Fresh as a daisy from the height of these four centuries, this Maison Forte chest in blond walnut, nourished with pure beeswax from a very young age, is now setting off in search of a new home where its functions as spacious laundry will be recognized and duly appreciated.

She is a bit like a beautiful country girl who would have put on her prettiest dress to go to the ball. This chest of drawers, made from generous planks of cherry wood, in Périgord in the 18th century, proudly displays the assets of Louis XV charm. Curved front and refined handles form the adornment of our young beauty.

Its bird feathers link it to the Louis XIII style and its ancestors traveling chests that roamed the countryside, carrying the armor of their knights who went to war. Dating from the beginning of the 18th century, this robust walnut chest will have had the chance to live a peaceful life in the castle, in a Périgord that has finally been pacified.

It has everything of a great, namely all the attributes of the Louis XIII style, with the advantage of being of reasonable size. This small two-piece sideboard, commissioned in the 18th century by a rich farmer from the South West, is about to do wonders in our contemporary kitchens.

The audacious talent of the furniture carpenter who fashioned this bonnetière in Périgord in the 17th century lies in the fact that the hollow uprights, on either side of the facade, hug all the greasy moldings of the lower picture rail one by one as well as all those of the upper cornice.

This Auvergne oak farmhouse table tells the story of the country where it was born. It is made of a very dense light oak due to the harsh climate of Cantal, where it has courageously grown.

Winemaker’s table in oak and poplar – 19ᵗʰ century – Champagne The assembly of varied geometric patterns, a cross set with four triangles joined together inside the circle of the top, is highlighted thanks to the choice of nuanced wood species, namely oak and poplar. This manner attests to the provenance of this delicate winegrower’s…

Pitcher – 19ᵗʰ century – Auvergne Dimensions: height 37 cm. Price: on demand. Reference number: PA009  

Dimensions: height 39 cm. Reference number: PA008

Hauteur 30 cm.

Green glaze decorated with coiled slip strands small pinched lip to give accuracy. Lack of glazing on sides possibly for a better grip-a trade mark – or the potter’s naesthetic choice.

Front embellished with floral vine design and tree of life, turned feet, rich moulding adding depth at base, beautiful wrought iron handles on either side, keyhole decorated with fantastic animals.

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. More info

Large Louis XV Mirror – Gilded Wood – Late 18ᵗʰ Century – Midi-Pyrénées The imposing frontispiece of this Louis XV mirror seems to have been sculpted to the size of the generous cornucopia that flourishes in the middle. Symbol of fecundity and fertility, it is highlighted by a checkered background of diamonds, all punctuated in…

Desk table in oak and chestnut – Louis XIII – 17th century – Quercy Given the rarity of this type of table that served as a desk, one can imagine that this piece of furniture from Quercy experienced the heyday of river transport on the Lot during the 17th century. This desk table was probably…

Louis XV Mirror – Giltwood Frame – Late 18ᵗʰ Century – South of France Fantasy shines in this Louis XV mirror thanks to the emergence of the Rocaille style. Its particularity, breaking with symmetry, is particularly visible in the escalation of very different acanthus leaves on either side of the summit medallion. The rinceaux inspired…

Louis XV Mirror – Gilded Wood – 18ᵗʰ Century – South West of France Discreetly sized, this Louis XV mirror features a lovely scallop shell on its slightly curved pediment, framed by foliage and flowers. Through the gold leaf gilding of its frame, due to its age, the famous “bol d’Arménie” (bolus armenus) emerges, testimony…

Pantalonnière cupboard in cherry wood – Louis XIV – 18ᵗʰ century – Gironde – [ME044] Served by a remarkable cabinet making, this large cabinet is called “pantalonnière” because its basement conceals a drawer specifically devoted to the flat storage of pants. Two other drawers are housed inside, halfway up. This cabinet is based on opulent…

B like Bassinet, Emblem of BLM, Baby Liberation Movement If the BLM – Baby Liberation Movement – existed, the rocking cradle would be its flagship. It is indeed thanks to this small private bed that the babies were able to leave their panoply of mummy tightly wrapped in bandages and the already too crowded family…

With this type of waffle iron shaped by a blacksmith from Périgord in the 18th century, you could cook not waffles but deliciously crunchy wafers, whose dough was made of wheat flour mixed with milk, butter and sugar It was necessary to have the right dexterity to, once the ladle of dough poured on the…

This type of vat was used to prepare soup during major harvests in important agricultural areas. Imagine up to forty people working in the fields. It is a question of feeding them copiously twice a day. This large pot was placed on a masonry hearth established in a rustic kitchen. All these brave peasants came…

This large cast iron tub was intended to do the laundry of the entire community. It was filled with boiling water and an ash-based detergent, the very one we are rediscovering today. The drain called the “couladou” made it possible to empty it without spilling it, once the laundry was washed. We can observe two…

From the Périgord Foundries, these cast iron vats are recognizable at first glance. They are rounded in shape, equipped with rod handles and without couladous (drainage in Occitan) which made it possible to stack them for transport. These boilers were indeed intended for export. They were to join by sea, on large ships, the French…

We notice its pretty central cartouche formed of acanthus leaves surrounded by a beaded molding around which appears the date “1764” (1 and 6 inscribed in mirror) as well as a series of seven flowers. The whole being enhanced with a gadrooned molding. Reference: [ME079]. Dimensions: width: 62 cm, height: 74 cm, thickness 3 cm.…

Firebacks – 16ᵗʰ, 17ᵗʰ, 18ᵗʰ and 19ᵗʰ centuries – Périgord foundries Références : ME024, ME079, ME026, ME027.

Cast iron andirons – 18ᵗʰ century – Périgord – [ME062] The andirons are a warm welcome to your “life after”. In the evening at the vigil, it is sweet to be able to contemplate solid andirons. While many of us are rediscovering the charm of country houses where the “pleasure fire” warms and fascinates us,…

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 occupy the entire extent of the uprights and crosspieces framing the doors evoke the Louis…

For those who love the austere charm of the castles of the Kngdom of France in the pure Louis XIII style, before the influence of the Italian Renaissance intervened, this credenza is a centerpiece. It give evidence to a precise temporal parenthesis, that of the sedentarization of the knights who will begin to provide in…

Flowers, passion, a dowry and its sheath Here is how this piece of furniture appeared in Auvergne in the 18th century. Prelude to the wedding, the engagement makes it possible to organize as it should, the imminent arrival of the bride in the family of the groom, under the condition of a dowry made at…

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…

Cherry wood farm table – 19th century – Périgord Close your eyes and imagine … A soft light, that of the flames of the cantou from which escapes the sweet aroma of bacon soup, the familiar voices where the Occitan accent sings, the young wine which refreshes us in glasses darkened by time … You…

Louis XIII style oak table – 20ᵗʰ century – Périgord – [ME048] This table can accommodate many guests on its large table top: 3.50 m by 1.12 m. Its base is made up of six twisted legs, linked together by an assembly of H-shaped struts, themselves decorated with Louis XIII-style torsos.

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 precise. First of all, it is advisable to choose a…

Folk art chestnut chest – 18th century – Béarn The secret code to enter the spiritual universe of this chest overloaded with messages is undoubtedly the number 6. Keep it in mind to sharpen your gaze. Around the Latin Cross located under the keyhole, four 6-pointed stars immediately illuminate the facade. Theses stars represent IX…

PUY-DE-DÔME: LAND OF POTTERY AND VOLCANOES SINCE THE NIGHT OF TIMES It is on the ground of a thousand-year-old tradition that these three beautiful melards of varying proportions and colors were created. It should indeed be remembered that in the center of Auvergne, at the beginning of the Christian era, the black earths of the…

Two water jugs – 19th century – Lot Valley Also called head jugs, because they were carried on the head by women who went to fetch water, these two water jugs were turned in the Lot Valley in the 19th century. Imagine women fetching water from the village well or fountain, to meet all the…

Sideboard chest in oak – Louis XV – 18ᵗʰ century – South West France Astonishing trompe-l’oeil fantasy on this little sideboard which seems to have two drawers even though it opens on the top like a chest. Another daring mix of genres: made in the 18th century by a traveling furniture carpenter, from beautiful oak…

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 that these two jugs come from the same workshop and probably from the same hand. The…

  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…

Small walnut sideboard – Louis XIV – 17ᵗʰ century – Périgord Fashioned in the 17ᵗʰ century in beautiful walnut planks, the noble wood of the time cultivated in the illustrious walnut groves of Périgord, this sideboard immediately surprises with its completely unusual cozy dimensions. At the time, in fact, an outward sign of social success…

Apothecary mortar in marble – late 18th century – France This frustoconical mortar was sculpted in a block of veined white marble, then patiently polished by hand, to obtain an impeccable softness to the touch and an irreproachable regularity of shapes. That of the tank hollowed out in the shape of a “cul de poule”…

Two oil jugs – 19ᵗʰ century – Périgord – [PA053] [PA054] Both from the famous pottery center of Beauregard-de-Terrasson, these two oil jugs have well-known distinctive signs. The first, on the left in the overall photo, presents a wine-colored glaze obtained thanks to manganese oxide, manganese being a natural metal extracted from Perigord soil since…

Walnut storage cabinet – 18ᵗʰ century – France You have before you the ancestor of the diplomatic bag … It is in fact in this kind of cabinet with drawers that the high dignitaries of the 16ᵗʰ and 17ᵗʰ centuries took their precious documents, cards, titles, treaties and coins of exchange, when they set out…

Choir stall in oak – Louis XIV – 18ᵗʰ century – Auvergne – [ME041] This type of stall, where comfort reserved for the privileged and aesthetic concerns are closely linked, illustrates in its own way the splendor of cathedrals. Arranged on either side of the Choir of these religious buildings, these rows of seats allowed…

Mansion clock in cherry wood – 18ᵗʰ century – Périgord – [ME057] FROM THE SUN TO THE WATCH, FROM PRAYER TO THE POINTEUSE, A VERY BRIEF HISTORY OF THE CAPTURE OF TIME The millennial quest for the measurement of time will free itself from the course of the Sun and the flow of water to…

Beech butcher’s block – early 20ᵗʰ century – [MP022] CERTAIN 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 where we took the time to…

Sculpture in anamorphosis of Saint Sebastian – 17ᵗʰ century – South of France – [ME065] In the 17th century, in many religious buildings, Saint Sebastian remained tied up while the arrows attached to his legend were no longer represented. At most, they will be suggested. The Saint Sebastian carved in a hundred-year-old walnut that we…

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 in the dry near the hearth, where the pots were smoking, so that the…

Walnut sideboard with scallop shell – Louis XV – 18th century – Lot Valley What jumps out at first glance, when looking at this sideboard, are the medallions of the two doors worked in projecting molding. Patterns of points, windings and curved lines describe around these medallions a skilfully convoluted rim. The lower of the…

HISTORY OF THE CONFITURIER OR HOW GASTRONOMIC MORES INFLUENCE FURNITURE 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 who sell it at gold prices in their pharmacies, finally arrives at…

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…

Terrine in the shape of a hare in glazed earthenware – 19ᵗʰ century – South West – [PA050] Also called “gîte à pâté”, this zoomorphic-inspired terrine was used both for cooking and for presenting the famous hare pâté on a well-appointed table. The originality of this glazed terrine also lies in the alternation of star…

Oil jar – 19ᵗʰ century – Quercy – [PA044] This oil jar from Quercy, made of red clay, has the particularity of its trefoil pinched spout. The body is adorned with oblique bands, drawn with a decorating wheel.

Glazed terracotta jugs – 19ᵗʰ century – Beauronne-Douzillac – [PA039 – PA040] These two terracotta jugs come from the famous pottery center of Beauronne-Douzillac in the Dordogne. On the larger one we observe, depending on its overall glaze, subtle shades of green resulting from the heating effect in the oven. Patterns of digitized bands are…

Carried on the heads of women who went to fetch water from the village well or fountain, these jugs are called “head jugs”. In order to make the task less painful and less perilous, these water carriers made a straw wreath wrapped in fabric which they placed between the jug and their hair. These jugs…

This oil jug has a set of distinctive signs which inevitably links it to the famous pottery center of Beauregard de Terrasson in Périgord. Observe rather: it was turned in a sandstone clay, covered with a glaze of tint “wine lees” obtained thanks to the local manganese and its beak presents a bulbous form, also…

Water jug – 19ᵗʰ century – Quercy Dimensions: Height 27 cm. Price on demand. Reference number: PA011  

Hauteur 29 cm.

Height 31 cm.

Hauteur 26 cm.

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…

Oval walnut cellar table – 18ᵗʰ century – Lot – [MP017] All the charm of period furniture from the Province of Quercy is found in the flexibility of the curves and moldings of this pretty little oval table…

Walnut jumping chest of drawers – Louis XV – 18ᵗʰ century – Loire region – [ME060] This small curved chest of drawers, as if ready to pounce on its raised legs, is, for this reason, called a “jumping chest of drawers”. At the same time, its humped feet seem to give it a form of…

Half-chest of drawers in cherry wood – 18th century – South West – [ME059] Imagined and shaped under the reign of Louis XV, during the second half of the 18th century, this curved chest of drawers is nevertheless inspired by the previous ornamental codes of the Louis XIV style, which combines curved and rounded lines…

Office cabinet in walnut – Louis XIII – 17ᵗʰ century – Périgord – [ME053] Devoted to the storage needs of a large office, this Louis XIII cabinet illustrates the type of command required by the noble houses and castles of Périgord. It dates from the 17ᵗʰ century and enjoys a remarkable state of conservation.

Renaissance style chest in walnut – 17ᵗʰ century – Périgord – [ME051] Made in Périgord in the 17ᵗʰ century, this walnut chest uses the aesthetic codes of the Renaissance, a pivotal period between the Middle Ages and modern times. You can recognize the famous gadrooned moldings around the edge of the plateau and on the…

Mazarin desk in walnut – Louis XIV – South West – [ME049] This Mazarin Louis XIV desk has a refined base, composed of eight legs rolled up in volutes, resting on clogs. By opening the side doors, we discover six drawers themselves compartmentalized in lockers. The central door opens on shelves.

Cherry wood sideboard – Louis XV Regency – 18ᵗʰ century – Aveyron – [ME047] We can detect a subtle variation of the Regency Louis XV style combining strict fidelity and well-assumed fantasy, if we carefully observe this period buffet in cherry wood shaped at the beginning of the 18ᵗʰ century. A rich and well-organized molding…

Louis XVI walnut chest of drawers – Late 18ᵗʰ century – South West – [ME045] This Louis XVI walnut chest of drawers, from the South West of France, excels by its sobriety. Its neoclassical style is reflected by grooves on the uprights, “sheath” feet and the molded projection on the front which creates relief.

Louis XV style “homme-debout” in walnut – 18ᵗʰ century – Périgord – [ME043] 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 services and pottery. The Louis XV style, full of curves and flowers, can be recognized…

Ceremonial walnut armchair – Louis XIV – South-West France Its walnut frame entirely worked in “Os de mouton” gives this Louis XIV armchair this ostensible elegance ensuring its function of ceremonial. It embodies the craze for curves and lacrosse endings that occur during the Regency in the third period of the Louis XIV period. Deliberately,…

Oak Gothic chest – 17ᵗʰ century – North of France This chest is an excellent example of the last period of the Gothic style: Flamboyant Gothic. Its special feature is its set of five panels with “blind windows”, reminding you of stained glass windows in cathedrals; they are separated by small carved columns representing pilasters…

Oil jug – Late 18ᵗʰ century – Quercy – [PA052] Thanks to its manganese-based glaze, this late 18ᵗʰ century oil jug has a pretty chocolate hue. Its pinched trefoil spout which marks its membership in the famous Quercy pottery is in perfect condition.

Tomb-like commode in cherry wood – Louis XV – 18ᵗʰ century – South West – [ME055] To observe attentively the movements which animate this Louis XV chest of drawers, it is to take the measure of the feats accomplished in the 18ᵗʰ century by the cabinetmaker who was the author. It comes out of the…

Homme debout in walnut – Louis XIV – 17ᵗʰ century – Périgord-Limousin – [ME054] It is clear that this ‘homme debout’ has been entirely worked, so that there is no walnut plank treated flat. The uprights, crosspieces and door frames are in fact molded over the entire width. In addition, in the center of the…

Oak storage wardrobe – from a monastery – 17ᵗʰ century – Burgundy A veritable masterpiece created by a 17ᵗʰ century “image maker” (the name attributed to wood carvers), this storage wardrobe stood proudly in a monastery that used to produce Burgundy wine. It bears witness to this noble activity with an abundance of symbols: Four…

French chest of drawers in walnut – 18ᵗʰ century – Rhône Valley This dresser is called “sauteuse” because of the height of its feet slightly curved. Rarissime because of its small intimist proportions, it sports at the same time very rich Regency patterns designed by Jean Bérain, an ornamentalist of the eighteenth century who was…

Louis XVI walnut chest of drawers – Late 18ᵗʰ century – Sud-Ouest – [ME039] We recognize the Louis XVI style of this walnut chest of drawers thanks to the clean and slender lines of its architecture. The veneer of the top, geometric, is made obliquely from a central axis, what is called a “fern” pattern…

This Louis XIV desk, Mazarin style, has the particularity of having been fashioned with different types of wood. The top is in walnut, the frame is in oak, the drawers and panels are in pear wood. This cleverly thought-out assembly highlights the architecture of this “bureau de milieu”, not intended to be against a wall…

Like most of the Rhône Valley furniture, this chest of drawers boasts a large volume to appear and impress on the occasion of the receptions organized by the notables and the merchants for this purpose. Hence a profusion of ostentatious decorations: falls of lambrequins on the uprights, eventful moldings delimiting four drawers, themselves set with…

This buffet, made at the beginning of the 18ᵗʰ century, is distinguished by its imposing size and ornamental richness. Deep moldings highlight the uprights, doors and high and low cornices. The double row of moldings which frame the drawers accentuates the decorative power of this Louis XIII facade. Reference : ME035

This elegant oil jar, turned in the 18ᵗʰ century, is distinguished by its slender upward handle, its pinched spout, its gray brown glaze made with manganese and its decoration of knurled strips arranged diagonally. So many particular signs in this region of production, the Quercy, which make us perceive the inventiveness marked with pleasure of…

Sturdily built on scroll feet with columns on the sides. Crossbow front. Dovetailed drawers with bronze handles.

Decorated with moldings, decorative flowers. Inner door to store tablewear. Arched cornice.Hoof feet.

Louis XIII two-tiered walnut buffet – 17ᵗʰ century – South West France The unusually diminished size of the upper cabinet makes this piece particularly appealing. This buffet is a true gem, attesting to the rigorous precision of the Louis XIII style released by the audacity of the Renaissance. The doors of the top cabinet are…

  Louis XIII two-tier walnut sideboard – 17ᵗʰ century – Périgord   This two-tiered sideboard with four doors and three drawers is emblematic of the way in which furniture makers in the Périgord reinterpreted the Louis XIII style. Reference number: ME016