Vintage French Pottery Glazed Terracotta Fruit Bowl Tian 2307261

French Glazed Terracotta Bowl

A French glazed terracotta bowl of the tian form, wheel-thrown from red-brown earthenware clay and glazed on the interior with a cream-yellow slip over which green copper-oxide decoration has been freely applied. This French glazed terracotta bowl represents a regional pottery tradition long associated with southern and central France, where such wide, shallow forms were used for both food preparation and serving. The exterior body retains its natural terracotta surface, lightly coated in a clear glaze that reveals the wheel-thrown ridges beneath.

The interior presents a cream-yellow ground with green brush-applied decoration in an energetic, freehand crosshatch and splash pattern. The green pigment, likely copper-based, has bled slightly at the edges during firing, creating feathered, dendritic marks characteristic of lead-glazed earthenware. The rim shows areas where the glaze has worn or chipped to reveal the red clay body beneath, consistent with age and use. The underside is unglazed terracotta with visible throwing marks and minor surface irregularities typical of hand-production. No maker's mark, stamp or signature is visible on the base. The outer wall carries faint traces of white slip and green drips where glaze ran during firing, adding to the handmade character of the piece.

The bowl measures 35.5cm diameter x 10.5cm height, equivalent to approximately 14.0" x 4.1". This is a generously sized form, suited for display as well as functional use.

The wide, open form makes this French glazed terracotta bowl a practical decorative object. It works well as a fruit bowl, a centrepiece on a farmhouse table, or as a display piece on a shelf or sideboard. Collectors of provincial French ceramics and slipware earthenware will find the freely applied green decoration and classic tian profile of consistent interest.

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