Antique Pewter online tureen, Antique French soup tureen, Soup tureen

This pewter item was found along with a similarly aged and decorated wine pitcher. This is old, it does not come from the refined artisan shops of Paris - it was made by a small village workshop here in South West France, as you run your fingers across the surfaces you can feel the simple tools used and perhaps the artisans lack of expertise and/or lack of proper tools. This item was found in a house in Le Bugue, a very old lady wanted to be shot of some of her pewter items which were stacked in a side room on a shelf up near the ceiling, Andy climbed a ladder to take the items down, we put them into some bags and paid the lady what she asked. Later we looked closely at the items and did a little bit of research into the Fleur de Lys symbol as well as the online local history. In modern times we are used to seeing the Fleur de Lys everywhere and in many ways it seems to be one of the symbols of France, this was not so in times past as this symbol was the exclusive preserve to Royalty/Aristocracy and the Church - of course in Pre-Revolution France the was no separation so the symbol represented both.

It is very likely that this item is pre-French Revolution and was made at one of the local artisan workshops in the area, it would have been made either for the church or for the local aristocracy. Le Bugue is and has always been a market town - since the 14th century in fact, the weekly market still takes place on Tuesday as decreed by the then King of France in 1318, there was never a castle or palace in Le Bugue. However in the small village of Sainte Alvere where we live there was a Fortified Castle which formed the village - (From the eleventh century historians report a primitive feudal castle, in fact a village surrounded by ramparts dominated by a defensive tower. Over the centuries this castle will be powerfully landscaped, mainly in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The absence of archives and documents makes it difficult to trace their history. In the 18th century, the castle of Sainte-Alvère was one of the most beautiful in Périgord.) It was destroyed in the Revolution, later it was ordered to be demolished. When one uses the term 'destroyed' it's just one word, but when one imagines the process step by step, there are many horrors that can be imagined. It is not too far fetched to think that these objects were sacked from the castle, perhaps those sacking also killed - history is silent on the matter, however destruction was quite thorough as very few details of written history or records remain of this village before the Revolution. One still hears in hushed tones that the Marquis was not a very nice person and that he was killed during the revolution. Again, not a lot of imagination is required to take these objects, what would have been a days journey of 15 km to the neighbouring town of Le Bugue, we will never know if these objects changed hands - quite likely not because the decorations of the Fleur de Lys would have given them away as loot - it is very likely that these objects spent three centuries in a cellar or attic, until it was opportune to sell them on to l'étranger (the stranger).

From a very practical side - there is no damage, the item shows little use. The workmanship is simple and unrefined. Because this is made of lead pewter it is a decorative item and not to be used for food or drink.

The size: Height 24.5 cm or 9.5" with lid - 13.5 cm or 5.3" without the lid - Width handle to handle 23 cm or 9" - diameter of bowl 20.5 cm or 8" - diameter of base 13 cm or 5.1"

The weight: 2.7 kg

All our parcels are securely wrapped and sent by tracked courier. Please remember to enter your telephone number when placing your order as parcels can no longer be sent without this information. The phone number is entered into the system and is not visible on the outside of the parcel.