French Antique Limestone Mill

An antique millstone in French limestone, 39 inches across and a little over a hand's width thick, so it sits low to the ground. The top carries the radiating grooves that once cut grain, worn back to smooth patches where the stone did most of its work, and a crisp round opening at the center. Short vertical grooves run around the rim. The color moves between pale bone, oatmeal and a dusty gray, with honey-colored staining and mineral deposits at the edges where water once sat.

It measures 39 inches in diameter and 6 inches high. It is a working stone from a French mill, retired a long time ago, and the wear is uneven in the way a used stone should be: deeper grooves on one side, polished flats on the other. The surface is dry and matte and takes light in soft flashes rather than shine. Condition is as found, with nothing filled or cleaned.

Set it flat in gravel in a courtyard as a plinth for a large pot or a piece of sculpture, or lay it as a round landing at a garden gate. Indoors, on a low iron base under a glass top, it makes a stone table that keeps the grooves on view. We also like it simply leaned against a wall. The antique millstone is in Marina Del Rey; see it there by appointment, or we can send more photographs and a price with delivery.