French Antique 18th Century Limestone Planter

A French antique limestone planter from the 18th century, so deeply pitted that the surface looks more like weathered coral or volcanic rock than cut stone. The walls are thick and taper upward to an uneven, broken rim, and the whole form is heavy and unrefined. The color runs from weathered gray to warm beige, with charcoal shadow in the deep pockets of the stone; the interior is worn softer than the craggy outer skin.

It measures 23 inches wide, 4 inches deep and 20 3/4 inches high. The interior opening is about 15 3/4 inches across and, with the rim uneven, between 13 1/2 and 17 inches deep. Deep cavities, small chips and signs of long use are all present and are the reason we chose it.

A planter of this character suits an entry court with an olive or a bay tree, the edge of a pool or terrace where rough stone sits against smooth paving, or a bed of grasses and trailing rosemary spilling over the broken rim. This limestone planter has sold. We usually have similar French planters and troughs in the yard or on the water; ask us and we will send what is current.