Antique Italian Stone Vessel

An antique Italian stone vessel, shallow and long, in a soft ash gray with warmer earth tones coming through the grain. The exterior is unpolished and keeps the jagged unevenness of the block it was cut from. Inside, the walls carry distinct vertical ridges left by the original tooling, a row of small parallel shadows when the light is low. The rim is thick and irregular, worn smooth at the high points and rough in the dips.

It measures 23 1/4 inches wide, 10 1/2 inches deep and 4 1/2 inches high. At that depth it is more a tray than a basin, which is what makes it useful indoors: it sits low and weighted on a surface and needs no plumbing. It is an antique Italian piece, as found.

It belongs on a dining table as a centerpiece holding fruit or moss, on a fireplace mantel where its narrow profile fits, or on a slim entry table as a catch-all for keys. It would also work outdoors as a bird dish or a small stone trough beside a door. On finished wood or glass the rough stone is an immediate contrast. This stone vessel is in our showroom in Marina Del Rey; come and handle it, or ask us for more photographs and a price with shipping.