Sunday 30 October 2011

My favorite Brocante - Finds....






"I prefer the company of peasants because
 they have not been educated sufficiently to reason incorrectly"
Michel de Montaigne




A few finds at my favorite Brocante in Rouzan
a few weeks ago:


"L'été remplit sa grange, affaisse ses greniers;
L'autone d'un doux poids fait gémir ses paniers;
Et les derniers soleils, sur les côtes vineuse,
Achévenent de mûrir les grappes paresseuses."

Citation de l'abbé Jacques Delille



It's basket time....

'Presentoire de lavandre'  - Provence  -  Lavender basket


'Van'  -  Corn wing, a shallow oval basket,
 from Val d'Aoste et Savoie, France

in the size of 95 cm by 75 cm


"Le grain, une fois battu était amassé dans le van,
seconé à l'aide des deux poignées.
La balle trés légère était alors emportée par le vent."


I've never seen a basket like this one
and had to have it!









small collection of fishing-net floats


old vegetable baskets


rare in this large size and with four handles


Oyster baskets from Ile d'Oleron


a few old chopping boards


Confit pot and water- or wine jar, 19th Century
love the chipped glaze which gives an interesting texture



19th century unpolished marble morter...


...with a wooden pestle


large milk-creme-water jar, also 19th century

*

And I was so lucky to find...


the most beautiful  chanvre  -  linen hemp!

  
in amazingly good condition and wonderful natural colors...


creme white, oat meal and beige.....


real 19th Century farmers linen!




*



'Nappes de vendange'


tablecloths for the 'wine tasting ceremony' after the grape harvest


more chanvre





*



Pair of 19th Century cast iron Medici urns with remains of original paint





*


On my way back home from the Brocante in Rouzan...


...as announced...
a quick visit to the village and Château of
 Michel de Montaigne



The Château de Montaigne is a castle situated on the borders of Périgord and Bordelais,
near Bergerac and Saint-Emilion in the Dordogne.
This fortified castle dates to the 14th century
and was the family residence of the Renaissance-philosopher
and thinker Michel de Montaigne.


*

The small village Montaigne with the nearby Château,
 just 10 km east of St. Emilion




















*










Lord Michel Eyquem de Montaigne



February 28, 1533 - September 13, 1592

was one of the most influential writers of the French Renaissance,
known for popularising the essay as a literary genre
and is popularly thought of as the father of Modern Skepticism.
He became famous for his effortless ability to merge serious intellectual speculations
with casual anecdotes and autobiography
and his massive volume   Essays   
contains to this day, some of the most widely influential essays ever written.



Built in the heart of a majestic park,
whose layout was designed by the philosopher himself,
the residence was acquired in 1477 by the great-grandfather of Michel de Montaigne,
Ramon Eyquem, a Bordeaux trader,
who thus acquired the hereditary title
of Seigneur de Montaigne
read more    here



Michel de Montaigne,
 most famously known for his skeptical remark
'Que sais-je?'   -   What do I know?

You can read The Complete Essays
here




*



"When I play with my cat,


....



...who knows if I am not a pastime to her more than she is to me?"
Michel de Montaigne


Bon Dimanche...


et
Bonne Semaine a tous!