Large antique French confit pot - orange w/ marks 16½"

This classic French confit pot is from val de Saône, France (Saone valley) and dates from the late eighteenth / early nineteenth century. Note the lovely chestnut-colored glaze and markings similar to English 18th century slipware pottery from the same epoque being made across the channel. An exemplary piece of French pottery to add to a collection or stand alone as a spotlight piece. Note the pretty tapered base that is unglazed. 

Confit pots were half-glazed for two reasons. Firstly to stop rodents from being able to grip onto the surface of the pot and help themselves to the contents. Secondly, they were glazed inside and the top half of the outside to keep the pot cool through evaporation. Pots were often buried in the ground of the cellar to preserve the contents - usually meat that was sealed with a layer of fat. This piece was transformed at one point in time as it has a drainage hole in the back.