Tea at Trianon: Poterie Renault

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Thursday, May 25, 2023

Poterie Renault

From Milk Street:

Though the region is best known for wine production, the Loire Valley of France also once contained a secret gem frozen in time: Poterie Renault. Dating back to 1847, the French pottery workshop was filled to the brim with stoneware pieces, all handcrafted from some of the richest and finest clay France has to offer. And while the factory shuttered its doors in 2016, it left behind a treasure trove of salt-glazed ceramics that have become collectible items. Today, very few shops carry what’s left of the stunning pieces—we were lucky enough to get our hands on an assortment of rare finds.

At its height, potters at the factory would craft between 80 to 120 pieces a day, firing them in a blazing 1200 degree kiln with an unexpected additional component: salt. The old technique, known as salt-glazing, rendered pieces with an iconic glassy finish that set them apart. From traditional onion soup bowls and gorgeous wine jugs to bakers in multiple shapes and sizes, each unique piece will find a home in your kitchen. Snag this limited-availability collection while it’s in stock at Milk Street, once these pieces are gone, they’re gone forever. (Read more.)