French Antique 19th Century Square Wellhead

A French antique stone wellhead of the 19th century, square and blocky, with a broad flat rim that holds the light before the stone drops into a deep round throat. The limestone is weathered gray and warm sand, flecked with faint rust, and the surface is deeply timeworn, pitted and peppered with old tool chatter that still shows through the patina. A raised lug on the rim and several worn notches break the symmetry; they are the record of its working life.

It measures 33 1/2 inches square and 18 3/4 inches high, with an opening of about 23 1/2 inches. The edges are softened by generations of use into a comfortable, irregular line. Condition was as found, with the lug and notches left exactly as they were.

A collar like this frames a feature tree, a gnarled olive or a citrus, the thick stone against a light canopy. It also works dry, as an architectural object in a wilder planting, half overgrown with creeping thyme. This antique wellhead has sold. We usually have similar square and round stone wellheads in the yard or on the water; ask and we will send what is current.