This Weekend in Provence..a Provençal Auction!

Meet me there! well, actually I will be there in spirit only. It seems the best auctions in Provence all happen in the fall.... which is one reason why I want to plan a Chic Provence Design Tour for the fall. It's an irresistible time to be there!

If you are lucky enough to be in Provence this Sunday, head over to the Château de Sanilhac near Uzés... preview Saturday October 29 from 11 am until 6 pm. Auction begins at 2:30 pm Sunday October 30. After a long leisurely Sunday lunch and game of boules, let's head on over and see what treasure await us there!

charming little round mirror framed in carved wood

this rare silver "confiturier" (jam pot) with two pigeons

on the top is one of many stunning silver pieces

at the auction

a perfectly Provençale piece, the "panetiére" in

walnut once hung on a kitchen wall and held

the daily bread safely away from animals and other pests

beautiful Directoire era day bed in walnut will go

for about €1000... don't you wish you were there

to snag this one??

Ecole française painting from the

Restoration epoch, €800 or so

a bronze by Louis Bottinelly

a XVIIe Spanish century console table with

beautifully carved golden legs

this golden bronze clock has Cupid reminding

us that time is fleeting... take love while you can!

the head of Christ carved in stone

a stunning pair of griffons in clay from

the XIXe century, about €4000

called a "frame with the shape of a gendarme's cap" this

little wooden charmer will go for about €200

this ecole française painting of a French soldier

beginning of XIXe century makes me smile

one of a set of 8 utterly charming lacquered

wood Provençale chairs

this Picasso ceramic from mid-century Vallauris

can be yours for perhaps €1000 or so... an original,

bien sûr!

how would you like this inkwell on

your desk? at €10,000, un peut chér!

***

thanks for visiting! Kit

Shipment from l'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue Brocante Est Arrivee!!

Although it was a few weeks ago, I can still feel the excitement I felt when I uncrated my treasures when they arrived from Provence. When the shipper called (finally!.. I had been waiting for months!) I made quite sure to be home the day and appointed hour of the arrival of these huge shipping crates... and was as excited as I get at Christmastime!

Here are my wonderful brocante finds from l'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue... frankly, it's not a lot, but it is packed as if it were an art treasure from the Louvre!

here are all three jugs... aren't they beautiful? I love the

original pear shape, and the last one still has the vestiges

of the red wine that was stored in it... beautiful relics of

a long ago time in Provence

this incredible wine jug is one of three I bought and

shipped home... it's a huge, 26" tall hand-blown

vintage Provençal wine jug from between the

two world wars

yes, if you look closely, you will see that the tag is

still on the jug from the flea market... and yes, it

cost only 45 euros! or about $60... incredible price!

***

next box contained the 11 vintage Minton china luncheon plates I

found at the flea market; here they are wrapped and packed

within an inch of their lives!

these stunning plates (OK, I'm a plate-aholic:) are each with

a different pattern, and all exquisitely hand-painted... I really think

they are quite beautiful, and since I found them at the end

of the flea market, I was able to get them for 80 euros, instead of

the original 500 euros the vendor was asking!

Are they stupendous?

***

yep, this very large well-constructed crate carried

three glass jugs and 11 luncheon plates from France

to my backyard with nothing broken... the crates

have since been recycled for a local Woodside

production of South Pacific... perfect, non?

What do you think of my treasures?

Come with me next time... I'm

planning another trip in Spring 2012..

details to follow!

***

then, just to keep the fun coming, I received my order for these

beautiful, smooth white linen euro pillow covers from

my friend Tricia Rose at Rough Linen! look at her

artful packaging!

the cases are truly wonderfully linen, smooth and cool to

the touch; here I have them in one of our salles des amis

to be enjoyed by our next house guest!

I think I could just curl up right here with a good book

and let the world pass me by for a few hours... these

pillows are so sumptuous and inviting now!

You can order from Tricia these amazing all linen bedclothes:

duvets, pillow slips, sheets... as well as table cloths, curtains and napkins...

be sure to visit her wonderful website... you

will love whatever it is you order from her... I've seen it all!

PS Tricia was featured in Martha Stewart Living!

PPS Tricia lives right on the water (north San Francisco Bay inlet)

in a very charming cottage she has

decorated in an amazingly refreshing way... I will be doing a

blog post about her home soon!

***

Merci pour la visite!.... Kit

The Brocante at Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

Flea markets are the same the world over. Vendors are often more interested in each other's gossip than in selling stuff to you:) Sellers have always "just left" to get coffee, leaving their neighbor to watch their stall just when you desperately want an item. Lunchtime rolls around and all vendors everywhere pull out delectable lunches they have brought in, only to make you notice your hunger pangs as you settle for a local skyrocket-priced carnival food. And, of course, everywhere there is much posturing and haggling over prices... all part of the fun!

The brocante in l'Isle sur la Sorgue at Easter was just like all the rest of the flea markets I've been to... except for the things you can buy, the setting, and... yes, the lunches. This was not our local Alemany Flea with corn dogs on a stick!

We had an unforgettable adventure there on the Chic Provence Design Tour... come with us next spring!

the entrance to the park where the flea market is held

in Isle sur la Sorgue, France

OK so we did just fine for lunch...here at

the Cafe de France!

we drooled over these hand blown wine jugs from

the early 20 C....and one of us bought one

this 19th C small rug is now a table runner for

one of our Tour attendees...isn't it beautiful!

great old planters were everywhere

the statue and the setting are so elegant..wait

until those vines are filled out and blooming!

loved this little grouping of vibrantly upholstered

furniture...looks like Designer's Guild

I think these are hitching posts...and not

sure what the curvy iron is..but love it!

original tile floor in one of the

buildings in town

metal cafe chairs, always chic!

rusted old garden statuary

highly styled mid-century stall

I love "terre melee" and this vase is

a superb example of the mixed clay

technique from Vallauris

funny little mid-century Michelin Tire guys!

(what are they up to anyway?)

the selection of vintage silver was phenomenal

at this stall

this wonderful Gustavian bench would look

great with cushions in a Swedish frame of mind

more tile floor from around town

pillow covers made from vintage

French sheets and grain sacks

love this navy and white tile floor

the magical view up the Sorgue River

***

thanks for visiting!....Kit