French Antique 19th Century Cast Iron Vase

A French antique cast iron vase from the 19th century, one of the architectural elements that gives a garden its date: a wide flared rim over a deeply ribbed bowl, a slender pedestal and a square base. Nearly all of the surface has gone to a rich oxidized patina, rust orange through charcoal to deep brown, with thick flaking corrosion in places and a trace of pale green moss around the foot. The ribs across the bowl catch the light.

It measures 21 1/2 inches in diameter at the rim and 28 1/2 inches high. The square base has cast mounting holes, so it can be bolted down to a stone pier or a brick wall. The corrosion is active, as it is on most garden iron of this age; it can be stabilized and waxed, or left to weather.

It would frame a formal entrance in a pair, stand at the foot of broad stone steps, or mark the center of a circular gravel drive, planted with ivy or clipped box against the rusted iron. Pale limestone, aged stucco or warm brick make the surface read. This vase has sold. We usually have similar iron urns and other architectural elements in the yard or on the water; ask and we will send what is current.