{"title":"Garden Cloches","description":"\u003cp\u003eAntique French garden cloches carry the practical beauty of objects made for everyday life. Traditionally placed over young plants, seedlings and delicate crops, these bell-shaped glass covers were closely connected to the \u003cem\u003epotager\u003c\/em\u003e, or French kitchen garden, as well as greenhouses and country estates.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eToday, antique glass cloches are admired for both their original purpose and their sculptural presence. Placed in a garden, on a kitchen counter, over a treasured object or at the center of a table, they bring an unexpected layer of French history to both traditional and contemporary interiors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBubbles, waviness, subtle irregularities, variations in shape and traces of long use are part of the character of genuine antique French garden cloches. Each reflects the hand of its maker and the working garden life it once knew.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"antique-french-glass-garden-cloche-hand-blown-19th-c-cloche-a-melon","title":"Antique French Glass Garden Cloche | Hand-Blown Melon Cloche | 19th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe shape is what makes this antique French glass garden cloche so charming. It rises higher than the wide \"salad cloches,\" indicating its purpose: to cover a smaller but growing melon. You can immediately imagine it in a French potager, sitting over young melons or tender spring plants while the pale green glass catches the morning light.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKnown in France as a cloche à melon, this garden cloche was made to trap warmth and protect young plants from cold nights, wind and garden pests. It likely dates from the 19th century, around 1850 to 1900 and is consistent with hand-blown French garden glass from the period. The soft green tint comes from the natural iron content in the glass, giving it that color we love in old utilitarian French glass.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe glass was blown by hand in one piece and the age shows beautifully. Small air bubbles are suspended throughout the wall.  The thickness shifts slightly from place to place and the surface has that gentle movement that modern molded glass never quite has. The broad rolled rim gave the cloche stability when placed directly over soil, while the tall bell form created room for the plant to grow underneath.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday, it would still be beautiful in the garden over herbs, strawberries, young lettuces or seedlings. Indoors, it would be wonderful on a farmhouse table, kitchen counter or sideboard covering a bowl of pears, lemons, market tomatoes or a small terracotta pot. It brings light, color and the feeling of an old French kitchen garden into the home.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Provence Collection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53567894782295,"sku":"OUT-008","price":405.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/4686\/4215\/files\/antique-french-glass-garden-cloche-hand-blown-19th-c-cloche-a-melon-2.jpg?v=1788802755"},{"product_id":"antique-french-glass-cloche-a-salade-hand-blown-pale-green-19th-century","title":"Antique French Glass Garden Cloche | Hand-Blown Pale Green | 19th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe size is what makes this antique French glass garden cloche so good. It is broad, low and beautifully generous... made to cover more than one little seedling. You can imagine it in a potager in the early morning with the pale green glass catching the light while lettuces, herbs or tender young plants wake up underneath. It has that wonderful French garden feeling: practical, handmade and somehow very beautiful without trying.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis form is known in France as a cloche à salade, a salad cloche, because it was made wide and shallow to protect lettuces and other delicate garden plants. At 45 centimeters across the base, it is broader than the melon cloches which appear more often on the market. It would have helped shelter tender young leaves from late frost, snails and other garden trouble while still letting in light and warmth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis example likely dates from the late 19th century and was hand blown in pale green glass. The proof of the handwork is easy to see. Tiny trapped bubbles move through the glass, faint swirls catch the light and the rolled rim has the slight irregularity you hope to find in old garden glass. It feels substantial, but still wonderfully alive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe knob at the top still carries its original pontil mark, left from the making process rather than ground away. That small detail matters. It gives the piece a direct connection to the glassblower who made it and separates it from modern molded garden cloches.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eToday, it would still be beautiful in the garden over herbs, lettuces, strawberries or young plants. Indoors, it would be just as lovely on a farmhouse table or sideboard over lemons, pears, market tomatoes or a simple bowl of seasonal fruit. It brings light, color and the feeling of an old French potager into the home or garden.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Provence Collection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53693697655127,"sku":"OUT-021","price":995.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/4686\/4215\/files\/hand-blown-french-garden-cloche-pale-green-2.jpg?v=1788802516"},{"product_id":"antique-french-glass-cloche-hand-blown-garden-bell-jar-19th-century","title":"Antique French Glass Cloche | Hand Blown Garden Bell Jar | 19th Century","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis French glass garden cloche has the kind of quiet clarity that makes old glass feel special. The pale green tint, soft bell shape and rounded top knob give it a beautiful presence... whether placed over a plant, candles or a small gathered arrangement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA cloche, meaning bell in French, was used in the potager (garden) as a small glass greenhouse, protecting young plants from cold and frost. This example was hand blown, likely in the late 19th to early 20th century, with seed bubbles, swirl lines and slight irregularities that show the glass was shaped by hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe rim is thick and uneven in the best way, with the small variations that make antique blown glass so much more interesting than modern versions. Used in a garden room, on a terrace table or indoors over something seasonal. It adds age, light and a very collected French feeling without needing much around it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Provence Collection","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54327200383319,"sku":"OUT-009","price":595.0,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/4686\/4215\/files\/antique-french-glass-garden-cloche-bell-jar-2.jpg?v=1786551730"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/4686\/4215\/collections\/Antique_French_Garden_Cloche.jpg?v=1788802247","url":"https:\/\/theprovencecollection.com\/en-us\/collections\/garden-cloches\/room_garden.oembed","provider":"The Provence Collection","version":"1.0","type":"link"}