Page 106 - Homes & Antiques (February 2020)

Focus on

CONFIT

POTS

Nowadays they are

used as vases or utensil

holders, but con!t pots

were originally made

for much more practical

reasons. Rosanna

Morris explores their

intriguing history

The mustard-yellow vessel holding
the bright sun!owers in Vincent van
Gogh’s famous still life may not take
centre stage, but it’s evidence that even
in the late 19th century, con"t pots
were used for decorative purposes.
These days, antique versions from
France, Spain and Italy are highly
sought a#er for their simple, visual
appeal, as well as their history.
Van Gogh was living in southern
France, an area associated with
proli"c production of con"t pots, when
he painted the second series of
Sun!owers in 1888. Although
commonly associated with France, the
terraco$a pots were also widely used
across southern Europe and beyond.
‘These pots were used for preserving
food in the 19th century; mainly meats
in fat, such as duck con"t,’ says dealer
Caryl Tincknell of Violet Grey, who
specialises in French antiques. ‘The
word ‘con"t’ comes from the French
verb ‘con"re’ which means to preserve.
The jars were either stored in a cold
larder or buried in the ground up to the
glaze line.’
In the days before refrigeration,
foods were cooked in the summer
months when produce was abundant
and then packed into the pots and
sealed with a thick layer of fat to
A lovely green-glazed confit pot
preserve them. The contents would
sits on the dining table in Jo and
then be consumed in the winter
Barrie Stewart’s house in Rye.
months when food was more scarce.
Rather than a use-by date, the cook

106 Homes & Antiques February 2020