FRENCH VINTAGE LINENS AND ANTIQUES. Where You Will Find Beautiful & Unusual Vintage Linens & Apparel and Antiques from France. This is one such item. French Faience Pitcher for Oil Pharmacy. French Faience Pitcher in Creamy White and Blue for Oil Late 1700s to early 1800s. This charming old pitcher would have sat on a shelf in a very long ago French Pharmacy. When the chemist had a preparation to make that called for oil he would take down this jug and measure out the correct amount of’Huile #1. The number is naively painted in black , suggesting that perhaps the phamacist had several kinds of oil available in his shop… Olive, sunflower, cod-liver, castor and so on. In any event this pitcher would now make a superb addition to an old-fashioned kitchen with its charming blue hand painted decoration. The style of painting and the blue lines on the handle suggest this pitcher to be from Nevers, Auxerre or perhaps Rouen and allow us date it. In heavy’faience’ (stoneware) this pitcher is in superb antique condition with no cracks and just a few of the superficial chips at the top and base that one would expect. As well there is some discoloration and crazing of the glaze… But really these imperfections show that this old jug was actually used and give it a nice patina. This pitcher is heavy, weighing just under a kilo or about 2 lbs. 9 1/2 inches high. It measures 19 inches around at the fattest part of its belly. I think it likely would hold about a litre or so of liquid. Your parcel will be professionally packed using recyclable materials only. This will be less than our actual cost. So far we have had 100% satisfaction with our items. Please take a minute to have a look at our Feedback. To that end we make every effort to describe our items accurately and fully and to note any small flaws which are inevitable in these vintage and antique items. We welcome and encourage your questions regarding measurements, condition, etc. Also please see our Comments on Condition and Pricing below. We are a fully liscensed and legal business in France. Our Siret Number is 502590573.00015. Comments on the Condition of the items I sell. Virtually all the items I sell are “vintage” which means they have, in the majority of cases, been used, and are at least 50 to 75, and even more than 100 years old. Having said that, I do not sell items that are so used that they are obviously heavily worn, faded or too fragile to use. Almost all my items were made by hand in France during the first half of the last century–most would date from between 1890 and 1950, although it is quite difficult to be certain of an exact date in most cases. It would be quite unusual to find this kind of fine hand work in France after about 1960. Again because these items are Vintage they have, in the vast majority of cases, been used. Still it is inevitable that occasionally there may be a hardly noticable tiny pin dot stain or a tiny rend on any given item. I always carefully launder and iron my items and in doing so inspect them carefully for a second time. If I notice a small flaw on an item I put that in my description. It is my hope that my customers understand that I would not and do not sell items which are not clean or have evident large stains or tears. But please do understand that because the items I sell are Vintage, and usually are at least 50 to 75 years old, they are rarely absolutely “pristine and perfect” as if they were new. Like all fine antiques, they will have their own sort of patina. Some sellers do sell these vintage items in the state in which they find them and of course they inform their customers of that fact. Because the items I sell are generally much sought after here in France and abroad, they are becoming more rare, and certainly more difficult to find. I travel far and wide in my region of France to visit flea markets, brocantes, antique shops and private sellers. I visit Paris from time to time, and I search for these rare items in other areas of France when possible. My travel costs to seek out new items are significant. Finally and very importantly for my customers, I spend a great deal of time laundering and ironing the items we sell. This always involves lots of energy and time and often requires specialized laundry products which can be costly. For all these reasons, the prices of these vintage items may seem a bit high–but the fact is that almost all these items are rare and special. Many are virtual works of art, (some are actually of museum quality), having been made entirely by hand by highly skilled, but sadly now unknown, seamstresses and embroiderers. These skilled craftswomen have all but entirely disappeared. This kind of French hand work is virtually a Lost Art. Still I do my best to keep my prices as reasonable as possible because it really is a great pleasure to package something very beautiful and very special and send it off to someone who will appreciate a lovely European Treasure From the Past. Thank you for visiting. VINTAGE FRENCH LINENS AND ANTIQUES. Come back soon and do. And be sure to add me to your favorites list. Merci et a bientot. The item “Antique 18th cent. French Faience Pitcher for Oil Pharmacy” is in sale since Sunday, May 19, 2019. This item is in the category “Antiques\Science & Medicine (Pre-1930)\Apothecary & Pharmaceutical\Bottles & Jars”. The seller is “2007nanb” and is located in Fontès. This item can be shipped worldwide.