The town of Anduze in the Cevennes region of southern France has been renowned for the production of its iconic glazed “vase anduze” since the 17th century.  The historic roots of this iconic planter date to the reign of Henry IV when a French potter was inspired by the form of a classic Medici vase he had seen on a visit to Florence Italy, where potted orange and lemon trees were a principal ornament of Italian Renaissance gardens.

In the 20th century, industrial manufacturing of clay and ceramic products forced many workshops in Anduze to close. However, a few remained and continue the venerable tradition of producing the Anduze vase by traditional methods. Foremost among them is “Terre d’Anduze”, a small family owned and operated workshop which has been producing these classic planters by hand since 1980. Recognizing that the traditional method of making Anduze pots by hand was threatened by industrial production and foreign manufacturing, Jean Dumas, born and raised in Anduze, founded Terre d'Anduze in 1980. His mission was to preserve the traditional fabrication of Anduze Vases in Anduze, as he refers to it, "the real thing". Originally, he produced all of the vases by hand himself, and now, four decades later, he has four employees who produce only ten vases per day, all by hand. Interestingly, the artisan family tradition continues with Mr. Dumas' son, who produces the Biot Jars for our French Heritage Collection.