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French Provincial Ceramics

FRENCH PROVINCIAL STYLE

Removed from the fashions of the court, French Provincial style developed in the provinces of the country, such as Provence, Normandy, the Loire Valley and Bordeaux. Dating to the 17th and 18th centuries, French Provincial furniture was not as ostentatious as the designs being produced for the royal palaces, but elegant S-shape cabriole legs and ornate carvings elevated the sturdy chairs, sofas, tables and bedroom furniture intended for everyday use.

Although it varies by region, antique French Provincial furniture is unified by solid construction and an artisanal attention to design. While this furniture often followed the metropolitan trends — including the Rococo or neoclassical aesthetics of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI — since it was produced in the French countryside it was more subdued with nods to its rustic settings.

Local materials like fruitwoods, oak, beech and walnut were used to construct large French Provincial armoires for storage and comfortable armchairs with rush-woven seats. Wrought-iron elements and carvings like floral details and scallop patterns were common as ornamentation. Furniture was frequently painted white or other muted colors that coordinated with gilt and would acquire a patina of age over time. Other wood was just stained with vibrant fabric such as toile de Jouy, which sometimes depicted pastoral scenes, adding color as upholstery.

The style arrived in the United States after World War I, with soldiers returning home wanting furniture like what they had seen in the rural homes and castles of France. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, designer John Widdicomb split from his family business, the Widdicomb Furniture Company, and had been focusing on Louis XV– and French Provincial–style furnishings since the early 1900s. Other American manufacturers such as Baker, Drexel, Henredon and Thomasville also responded to demand. Today antique French Provincial pieces and reproductions continue to be popular.

Find a collection of antique French Provincial dining tables, seating, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.

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Style: French Provincial
Terracotta Majolica Bulldog Bavent Filmont, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
Terracotta bulldog Bavent Filmont, circa 1900.
Category

Early 1900s French Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Terracotta

French Majolica Green Pumpkin Gourd (Decorative Antique Coin Piggy Bank)
Located in Atlanta, GA
Add a touch of French elegance to your collection with this exquisite Majolica green pumpkin gourd coin bank. Crafted in France, this antique decorative piece is both charming and fu...
Category

19th Century French Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Majolica

Colorful Glazed Terracotta Passata Bowl
Located in Houston, TX
Colorful glazed terracotta passata bowl from Southern Italy (Puglia). This rustic 19th century terracotta bowl was used in the Italian c...
Category

Late 19th Century Italian Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Terracotta

Large Colorful Glazed Terracotta Passata Bowl
Located in Houston, TX
Large colorful glazed terracotta passata bowl from southern Italy (Puglia). This rustic 19th century terracotta bowl was used in the Ita...
Category

Late 19th Century Italian Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Terracotta

Terracotta Majolica Bulldog Bavent Filmont, circa 1900
Located in Austin, TX
Terracotta bulldog Bavent signed Filmont, circa 1900.
Category

Early 1900s French Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Terracotta

Quimper French Hand Painted Faience Pottery Flask
Located in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire
A stylish French faience pottery hand painted flask with a Breton figure by Quimper and dating from the latter 19th century. The small rounded flask has a ...
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Pottery

Small black French Stone Mortar with stone Pestle
Located in Rümmingen, BW
This small French mortar was sourced in the south of France. It's an iconic and traditional kitchen object which is found all over France. Its traditional use was and still is to gri...
Category

Early 20th Century Unknown French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Stone

Very Large Colorful Glazed Earthenware Passata Bowl
Located in Houston, TX
Very large colorful glazed earthenware passata bowl from southern Italy (Puglia). This rustic 19th century terracotta bowl was used in ...
Category

Late 19th Century Italian Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Terracotta

Very Large Colorful Glazed Earthenware Passata Bowl
Located in Houston, TX
Very large colorful glazed earthenware passata bowl from Southern Italy (Puglia). This rustic 19th century terracotta bowl was used in ...
Category

Late 19th Century Italian Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Terracotta

Painted Ceramic Donkey
Located in Washington, DC
A painted ceramic donkey from the Normandy Region of France.
Category

19th Century French Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic, Paint

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Abstract Tree Brown Ceramic Freeform circa 1970 Stoneware Pottery La Borne
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
Abstract ceramic form with brown pottery glaze, circa 1970. Elegant colors. Realized in La Borne. Excellent original condition. Dimension: 16 x 14 x 5 cm.  
Category

1970s French Vintage French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

Ceramic Sculpture Representing a Head by Gisele Buthod-Garçon, circa 2017
Located in Neuilly-en- sancerre, FR
A ceramic sculpture with white glaze decoration representing a head by Gisele Buthod-Garçon. Perfect original conditions. Signed under the base. Circa 2017. Unique piece.
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21st Century and Contemporary French French Provincial Ceramics

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Ceramic

Beatrice Wood Signed Pink Lava Glaze Midcentury California Studio Pottery Bowl
Located in Studio City, CA
Famed California Mid-Century Modern artist Beatrice Wood signed bowl featuring a unique pink lava glaze and piercing blue crackle glass in the cente...
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Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Ceramics

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Earthenware

Peter Shire Exp Signed Post Modern Ceramic California Pottery Splatter Cup, 1979
Located in Studio City, CA
A wonderful work by famed Los Angeles (Echo Park), California-based artist Peter Shire who was a founding member (along with Italian designer Ettore Sottsass and others) of The Memph...
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1970s American Vintage French Provincial Ceramics

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Toshiko Takaezu Signed Japanese Hawaiian Glazed Pottery Chawan Yunomi Tea Bowl
Located in Studio City, CA
An absolutely gorgeous and wonderful chawan tea bowl / yunomi cup by famed Japanese American pottery master Toshiko Takaezu. The work features a rich, matte black tenmoku glaze with ...
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Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Ceramics

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Lucie Rie & Hans Coper Signed Stamped Yellow Glazed Stoneware Bowl, circa 1950
Located in Studio City, CA
A gorgeous mustard-yellow glazed stoneware bowl with manganese rim by famed European potters Lucie Rie & Hans Coper. The bowl is signed with each artist's impressed seals on the b...
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1950s English Vintage French Provincial Ceramics

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Antique Portuguese Pottery Palissy Style Majolica Lobster Wall Dish Plate, 1900
By Bernard Palissy
Located in Portland, OR
A good antique Palissy Ware style Portuguese majolica wall plate, circa 1900. The plate decorated with a large lobster to the center resting on a textu...
Category

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Charming Pair of Austrian 19th Century Polychromed Majolica Wall Sculptures
Located in Los Angeles, CA
A fine and charming pair of Austrian 19th century polychromed majolica hanging wall sculptures of an elderly couple peeking through a window, probably by Friedrich Goldscheider (Goldscheider'sche Porzellan-Manufactur und Majolica-Fabrik.) Each wall sculpture depicting an elderly man wearing glasses and a traditional cap with his arms extended forward as if it was reading a book or a newspaper. The other depicting an elderly lady, also peeking through a window, wearing a laced cap with a bow tie and shawl over her shoulders, her arms are also extended forward as if it was reading a book or a newspaper. The male figure stamped on the back "78 - II ." The lady figure stamped on the back "37 - 79." Vienna, circa 1890-1900. Man's height: 16 1/2 inches (41.9 cm.) Man's width: 13 3/4 inches (34.9 cm.) Depth: 8 1/2 inches (21.6 cm.) Lady's height: 15 1/2 inches (39.4 cm.) Lady's width: 13 3/4 inches (34.9 cm.) Lady's depth: 6 1/2 inches (16.5 cm.) Goldscheider Manufactory and Majolica Factory (German: Goldscheider'sche Porzellan-Manufactur und Majolica-Fabrik, (now) Goldscheider Keramik) is an Austrian ceramic manufactory. In 1885, Friedrich Goldscheider came from the small Bohemian city of Pilsen to Vienna and founded the Goldscheider Manufactory and Majolica Factory. It became one of the most influential ceramic manufactories of terracotta, faience and bronze objects in Austria with subsidiaries in Paris, Leipzig and Florence. For over half a century Goldscheider created masterpieces of historical revivalism, Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) and Art Deco. Famous artists such as Josef Lorenzl, Stefan Dakon, Ida Meisinger and the two perhaps best known Austrian ceramic artists Michael Powolny and Vally Wieselthier worked for Goldscheider. Several of the artists who worked for Goldscheider also worked for other Viennese studios, such as Augarten, Keramos or for the German brands Rosenthal and Meissen. The Goldscheider family emigrated in 1938 to United Kingdom and USA. Walter Goldscheider startet a new factory in Trenton, New Jersey and returned to Vienna in 1950. Marcel Goldscheider went to Stoke-on-Trent and produced figurative ceramics for Myott and opened his own studio in the 1950s in Hanley. Both brothers died in the early 1960s. More than 10,000 different models were created over a period of three generations. Since the very beginning many of these won first prizes and gold medals at innumerable world fairs, exhibitions and trade fairs. Goldscheider figures...
Category

Late 19th Century Austrian Antique French Provincial Ceramics

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Otto and Vivika Heino Signed Midcentury Large California Studio Pottery Bowl
Located in Studio City, CA
A beautifully designed, exquisitely handmade bowl by pottery or ceramics masters husband and wife artists Vivika and Otto Heino. The two were best known for their inspired designs and distinctive glazes. This relatively hefty bowl is signed on the underside and is in excellent vintage condition with no discernible flaws. Really quite riveting and sure to Stand out in any collection or setting. Dimensions: 5.5" high, 8.5" diameter. They are winners of the following awards: Gold Medal from the sixth Biennale internationale de céramique d'art, in Vallauris, France. (1978) Silver medal from the International Ceramics Exhibitions in Ostend, Belgium (1959) Their work can be found in the following museums and collections: American Craft Museum, New York City, NY American Museum of Ceramic Art, Pomona, California Ariana Museum, Geneva, Switzerland Arizona State University Art Museum, Tempe, Arizona Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, Maryland Brunnier Art Museum, Iowa State University, Ames Iowa Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution, New York, New York County Art Museum and Craft Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, California Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, Iowa De Young Museum, San Francisco, CA Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New York Fitchburg Art Museum, Fitchburg, Massachusetts Fred Jones, Jr. Museum of Art, The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma Hartford Jewish Community Center, Hartford, Connecticut Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, California Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Los Angeles, California Memphis College of Art, Memphis, Tennessee Mills College Art Museum, Oakland, California Mingei Museum, San Diego Museum of Art and Design, New York, New York Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, Utah State University, Logan, Utah Picasso Museum in Vallauris, France St. Paul Gallery, St. Paul, Minnesota Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, Scripps College, Claremont, California Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC Southern Highland Craft Guild, Asheville, North Carolina Tweed Museum of Art, University of Minnesota, Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois Ventura County...
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20th Century American French Provincial Ceramics

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Antique Spanish Colonial Majolica Pottery Water Vessel Pitcher
Located in New York, NY
Spanish Colonial majolica pottery water pitcher / vessel from the highlands of Guatemala. This piece has such character, with majolica glaze and traditional decorative design applied...
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19th Century Guatemalan Antique French Provincial Ceramics

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Otto and Gertrud Natzler Signed Green Lava Glaze Bowl with Original Paper Label
Located in Studio City, CA
A masterful work by famed potters Otto and Gertrud Natzler. This round-shaped footed bowl was wheel thrown and formed by Gertrud and glazed by...
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1960s American Vintage French Provincial Ceramics

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Warren MacKenzie Signed Studio Pottery Ceramic Tenmoku Glazed Footed Bowl
Located in Studio City, CA
A gorgeous work by 20th century master American and renowned Minnesota studio potter/artist Warren MacKenzie. The three-footed tenmoku glazed bowl is signed/ stamped along the foot rim by MacKenzie and features a unique decorative pattern. The dark, rich glaze radiates in the light. This work would a great addition to any Warren Mackenzie or modern pottery/ ceramic collection or eye-catching stand-alone accent piece in about any setting. A student of both famed ceramic artists Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada, Mackenzie is credited with bringing the functional Japanese Mingei tradition and craft to the United States and spreading it through his own art and teaching mentorship during his long tenure at the University of Minnesota. Along with being named a Regent’s Professor, and a fellow of the International Academy of Ceramics, the highly decorated and awarded MacKenzie was the first to receive the Minnesota Governor’s Award in Crafts in 1986. He later received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Minnesota Crafts Council in 1997 and a year later he was honored with the Gold Medal from the American Crafts Council. His work can be found in numerous collections and museums including: The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The National Folk Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England Contemporary American Crafts...
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20th Century American French Provincial Ceramics

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Previously Available Items
French Country Tureen, Jaspe
Located in Doylestown, PA
A French faience Jaspe tureen with lid, from the Savoie region, yellow glaze with brown glazed decoration, circa 1890.
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Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Pottery

French Country Tureen, Jaspe
French Country Tureen, Jaspe
H 4 in W 8 in D 6 in
French Country Pitcher, Jaspe
Located in Doylestown, PA
A French faience Jaspe pitcher from the Savoie region, yellow glaze with green and brown glaze decoration, circa 1890.
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Pottery

French Country Tureen, Savoie Region
Located in Doylestown, PA
A French faience tureen with lid, from the Savoie region, brown glaze with yellow glazed decoration, circa 1890.
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Pottery

French Country Barrel-form Pot, Jaspe
Located in Doylestown, PA
A French faience Jaspe pot with handle in the form of a barrel, from the Savoie region, yellow glaze with green hatch-mark glaze decoration, circa 1890.
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Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Ceramics

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French Country Pitcher, Jaspe
Located in Doylestown, PA
A French faience Jaspe pitcher with 3 handles and a spout from the Savoie region, yellow glaze with green splatter glazed decoration, circa 1890.
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Pottery

French Country Pitcher, Jaspe
Located in Doylestown, PA
A French faience Jaspe pitcher with handle, from the Savoie region, yellow glaze with green and red vine and berry glazed decoration, circa 1890.
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Pottery

French Country Pot, Jaspe
Located in Doylestown, PA
A French faience Jaspe pot with handles, from the Savoie region, brown glaze with yellow and black glaze decoration, circa 1890.
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Pottery

French Country Pitcher, Jaspe
Located in Doylestown, PA
A large French faience Jaspe pitcher from the Savoie region, yellow glaze with green and black, and brown glaze decoration, circa 1890.
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Pottery

French Country Pitcher, Jaspe
Located in Doylestown, PA
A French faience Jaspe pitcher from the Savoie region, brown glaze with green and black glaze decoration, circa 1890.
Category

Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Pottery

Set of Large 19th Century French Pottery Tian Bowls Three
Located in Hudson, NY
A set of three large 19th century French terracotta tian bowls complete with both handles and pouring spouts having an unglazed exteriors and a beautiful a exceptional shade of pale ...
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19th Century French Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

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Ceramic Tiles by Danikowski
Located in Paris, FR
9 ceramic tiles by Boleslaw Danikowski (1928-1979), after studying Fine Arts in Lille, practiced his profession as a potter and ceramicist in a small vil...
Category

Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Ceramic

Ceramic Tiles by Danikowski
Ceramic Tiles by Danikowski
H 0.24 in W 5.91 in D 5.91 in
French 19th Century Yellow Glazed Ceramic Confit Jar
Located in Buisson, FR
Beautiful confit jar with its characteristic yellow glaze. Confit jars were used primarily in the South of France for the preservation of meats such as duck or goose for dishes suc...
Category

19th Century French Antique French Provincial Ceramics

Materials

Terracotta

French Provincial ceramics for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a broad range of unique French Provincial ceramics for sale on 1stDibs. Many of these items were first offered in the Mid-20th Century, but contemporary artisans have continued to produce works inspired by this style. If you’re looking to add vintage ceramics created in this style to your space, the works available on 1stDibs include folk art, decorative objects, serveware, ceramics, silver and glass and other home furnishings, frequently crafted with ceramic, terracotta and other materials. If you’re shopping for used French Provincial ceramics made in a specific country, there are Europe, France, and Italy pieces for sale on 1stDibs. While there are many designers and brands associated with original ceramics, popular names associated with this style include J. Filmont Caen, and Quimper Faience Pottery. It’s true that these talented designers have at times inspired knockoffs, but our experienced specialists have partnered with only top vetted sellers to offer authentic pieces that come with a buyer protection guarantee. Prices for ceramics differ depending upon multiple factors, including designer, materials, construction methods, condition and provenance. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $286 and tops out at $2,850 while the average work can sell for $2,600.

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