French demijohn in mouth-blown glass with iridescent patina – 19th century

French demijohn in mouth-blown glass – iridescent, 19th century

A large, teardrop-shaped demijohn from France, also known as a dame-jeanne or bonbonne. The bottle is free-blown, without a mould seam, in pale greenish glass with small air bubbles. Below the rim a glass trail was applied and pinched with tongs into a twisted collar, to which the rope or basket used to be attached. Over time the glass has acquired an iridescent patina: in the light it shimmers in purple, green and blue, with fine white patches of weathering.

Why we chose this piece

This bottle is older and finer than the usual fermentation bottles: shaped by hand, with that twisted collar and a sheen like a soap bubble. Every change of light brings a different play of colour.

Style and interior

Beautiful in a rustic, French brocante, wabi-sabi or industrial interior: on the floor next to a cabinet, on an old workbench or on a windowsill where the sun makes the glass glow. Also lovely with a single branch in it.

Dimensions: height 34 cm, diameter 24 cm
Material: pale greenish glass, free-blown, with an applied twisted collar
Period: 19th century
Origin: France
Quantity: 1
Condition: used condition with the patina of time. The bottle is intact, without cracks. The glass is iridescent inside and out and shows white weathering in places (photos 3 and 4); this is typical of old glass and cannot be polished away. The rim is roughly finished, as is usual for hand-blown bottles (photo 3).
Price:
€ 120

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