French tableware

Hand-made by a family pottery in the center of France that is deeply rooted in tradition, this ingenious butter dish has been made in this same form for hundreds of years. Traditionally it was used in the kitchen to preserve the cooking butter beforee the days of refrigeration. Click on the numbers under the main photo to see the dish disassembled.

Here's how it works. You pack softened butter into the part of the dish with the holes. Then you invert it into the cupped base, partly filled with cold water. The water (in the old days) was important to keep the butter anaerobic and prevent spoilage. Now, it is simply a pleasure to evoke this ancient French tradition while using it to keep the butter cold.

While the forms of this pottery are absolutely traditional--perfected for the inherent gracefulness of utility for generations--they and the colors are at once richly contemporary. The owner of this atelier often experiments for months or even years on the perfection of a particular color glaze. This superb butter dish is dishwasher-, oven-, and microwave-proof. An heirloom in the making.

Colors: Marbled robin egg; marbled gray; marbled yellow; marbled blue

Size: 3 1/2" diameter x 3" high

Ships: Immediately

Origin: France

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