French Antique 19th Century Limestone Well

A French antique stone wellhead of the 19th century, square in plan but with the corners chamfered off, so the block shows eight faces and catches light from more than one side. The limestone is a warm gray shading into pale beige, peppered with mineral specks, and the rim carries distinct patches of rust-colored lichen. The exterior is dry and matte, with small pits and faint tool marks still visible; the inside of the throat is smoother, worn by the rope and buckets that passed through it.

It measures 32 inches square and 23 3/4 inches high, with a round opening of 21 inches. It stood over a well in France for a century or more and came to us with its surface untouched. Condition is as found: weathered, lichened, with the softened edges that make a well head read as old from across a garden.

A piece like this organizes a gravel garden or an entry court from the center, as a planter for trailing rosemary or creeping fig, or as the surround for a hidden reservoir and a low jet. This antique wellhead has sold. We usually have similar stone wellheads in the yard or on the water; ask and we will send what is current.