French Heritage
Anduze Planters by Terre d'Anduze
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. 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 Provencal Jars for our French Heritage Collection.
Provencal Jars by Les Jarres De Provence
Since the 16th century, the town of Biot in the Provence region of Southern France has been famous for its iconic olive oil jars. Beginning in the 1500s, cultivation of olive trees in Southern France fueled the demand for jars in which to store and transport the pressed olive oil.
The dense beige colored clay of Biot was ideal for the production of these storage jars because it repelled absorption. Their classic teardrop shape was designed to facilitate storage and ease of transport. It is said that the rim of the jars was glazed to help repel insects – when the jars were buried in the ground to the neck for storage and insects tried to access the wooden top used to seal the jar, they would slip down the glazed enamel of the rim. Glazing the rim and the interior of the jar also prevented oil and other liquids from seeping into the clay.
Biot jars were the first olive oil jars to be shipped throughout the Mediterranean and it is said, interestingly, that the Italians were the best customers. Ships sailed from the nearby port of Antibes under the protection of the Knights of Malta and sailed as far away as the Caribbean. While storage of olive oil was the primary use of the Biot Jars, they were also used to store and transport flour, dry beans, and other food products.
Versailles Planters by Loiselet
In the seventeenth century, André Le Notre, head gardener to the french king, Louis XIV, created a new planter for the expansive garden of Versailles. Exotics fruit trees — oranges, lemons, dates — were prized by the king’s court, but the supply was very inconsistent. Likewise, these exotic trees required protection from the cold winters at Versailles. As such, Louis XIV commissioned a south-facing orangery to be built in the palace garden and asked Le Notre to develop planters to host a collection of these exotic trees and thus the iconic oak Versailles planter box was created. Many period drawings, paintings, and descriptions reference the Le Notre planters, which essentially match in form and function the elegant planters produced today by the artisans of the Foundrie Loiselet in Dreux, France. While Versailles planters were traditionally painted green, you have the option to choose from our curated color palette.
