A large terracotta pithoi

Italian, hand-thrown, late 19th/ early 20th Century, removed from a walled garden in Gloucestershire,

the large slightly bulbous cylindrical pot with three handles and with a beautiful patina of old lichens and moss,

Dimensions: 100cm (39^¼") High, 72cm (28^¼") Wide

Stock Code: 45002

History

This pot was un-earthed in the beautiful gardens of a Gloucestershire priory.

Pots such as these can originate from anywhere in the Mediterranean region – they’ve been made for centuries, millennia even, for the storage of all manner of harvest – grain, olives, or wine. They form the backbone of archaeology itself. Huge Cretan pots lined the labyrinthine cellars of the Palace of Minos in 2000BC, similar perch precariously atop the walls of Villa d’Este outside Rome. They make wonderful garden ornaments. Whilst we can’t guarantee them against frost – these are too old for warrenty, we know them to be very hardy.

This pot can be paired with 44998 as pictured.