A hand-thrown French terracotta tian bowl -- a tian being the traditional earthenware vessel used across southern France for mixing, marinating and slow-baking -- probably dating to the late 19th or very early 20th century. The form, the unglazed exterior and the interior-only ochre glaze are all consistent with rural French country pottery production of that period. The clay body is a warm reddish-brown earthenware typical of Provencal workshops.
The bowl is wide and shallow with gently flaring walls that taper to a narrow flat foot. Two small pinched loop handles sit opposite each other at the rim. The interior carries a full coating of amber-ochre lead glaze that shows the natural concentric rings left by the potter's wheel; the glaze is glossy and pools slightly toward the center. The exterior is entirely unglazed, retaining visible tool marks and the texture of the clay surface. A short pouring spout or lip is formed at one point of the rim. No maker's mark, stamp or signature is visible on any surface.
Condition is consistent with age and working use. There are several chips along the rim, most visible at and near the spout area where a small piece of the clay has broken away. The exterior shows surface crazing, a hairline crack running partway down one side of the wall, and areas of encrusted soil or residue. Glaze drips run down the exterior below the rim on multiple sides, which appears original to the firing rather than later damage. The interior glaze is intact with no restoration visible. Sold as pictured.
Dimensions: 14.4 x 6.7 in (36.5 x 17 cm), diameter by height as supplied by the seller. The wide open form makes it well suited to display as a decorative object on a shelf, sideboard or table.
