A French cruche, or water jug, in earthenware, its upper half dipped in a vivid copper-green glaze over the warm, unglazed clay below. The rounded body rises to a narrow neck, framed by a looped handle that arches over the shoulder. The glaze pooled and ran in the kiln, leaving streaks of deep emerald where it thickened and a speckled edge where it stopped. Jugs like this kept water cool in farmhouse kitchens across southern France, and the narrow neck slowed evaporation. It is lovely on a console, a mantel, or a kitchen shelf, filled with a few branches or left on its own.
- Origin: Southern France
- Age: 19th century
- Material: Earthenware with green lead glaze
- Details: Partially glazed body, narrow neck, looped handle, unglazed base
- Dimensions: 5"W × 8.5"H
- Condition: Good antique condition with small glaze losses and chips to the neck rim, handle tips, and shoulder, showing the clay beneath. There are glaze drips and kiln marks from the firing and surface wear consistent with age.
