A classic antique French copper fish pan -- known in French kitchens as a leche frite or poissonniere-style roasting pan -- hand-hammered in copper with a fully tin-lined interior and a long forged iron handle. Pieces like this were workhorses of the 19th-century French bourgeois kitchen, shaped precisely to cradle a whole fish or a narrow roast over an open fire or early range top.
The elongated oval form is well-proportioned and quietly handsome, with gently rounded ends, a rolled rim and two small pour-spout notches cut into opposite sides. The iron handle is a standout detail: forged by hand into a Z-bend profile, it is riveted to the pan body with copper rivets and terminates in a small hanging ring -- a practical touch that speaks to a time when kitchen tools were stored on hooks above the hearth. The exterior retains its warm, deep copper patina, darkened with age, while the tin lining inside shows the honest silvery grey of a pan that was well used and well kept.
Condition and patina consistent with age. The tin lining shows overall wear with light darkening and minor surface scratching; the copper exterior has aged to a rich, uneven patina. The iron handle is solid and firmly attached.
Approx. 16.9 in long x 7.1 in wide x 1.8 in deep (43 x 18 x 4.5 cm) for the pan body, with an additional handle length of approx. 12.4 in (31.5 cm).
