French Antique 18th Century Round Limestone Trough

A French antique round limestone trough from the 18th century, compact and shaped like a mortar, with a patina in two sharp bands: the upper walls have weathered to a soot-black charcoal while the base stays a pale warm yellow. The surface is pitted and porous all over, a coarse texture that soaks up light rather than reflecting it. The form is deep and cup-like, the thick rim battered from long use, and the interior is rough and dark.

It measures 41 inches across and 26 inches high. A drain hole is cut near the base so it can be plumbed or planted without standing water. It is French, 18th century, as found. For a round trough it is not enormous, but it is still a forklift job.

Raise it on a stone plinth, a pedestal or a waist-high garden wall so the dark silhouette is seen against sky or a pale wall; set it beside a doorway as a planter for a clipped bay; or make it the catch basin of a small courtyard fountain. A stone trough this dark is best lit from the side. This limestone trough is in our yard in Marina Del Rey; come and see it, or ask us for more photographs and a price with delivery.