Warm brass, deeply worked ornament and a patina that no new piece can replicate. This is the kind of object that makes a room feel considered.

This is an antique French cast brass jardinière, late 19th century, Napoleon III period. The oval body is pierced throughout in a continuous frieze of classical ornament: upright acanthus and palmette forms in the upper register, pendant lotus bud or teardrop forms below, separated by a fine beaded band. The casting is precise and deep, the ornament reading clearly from a distance and rewarding close attention equally. The piece stands on four small splayed decorative feet, the whole thing proportioned with the particular confidence of French decorative metalwork at its Belle Époque peak.

The patina is naturally aged warm brass, neither lacquered bright nor heavily corroded, mellowed to exactly the right tone with traces of verdigris at the base consistent with genuine age.

Condition is good. Honest age throughout.

Sourced in France.

Works beautifully as a planter for a small trailing plant or succulent, a cachepot for a ceramic inner pot, a centrepiece holding moss or botanicals, or simply as the object it already is on a mantelpiece, a dining table or a sideboard. The warm brass tone sits naturally with linen, stone, aged wood and the kind of interior that values material quality over surface finish.

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