Normandy Jug
Antique cider pitcher jug; made of barrel oak with polished brass rings and crest on the front, engraved with castle and leaf motifs. Circa 1860, France; measures 9.5” x 13.5” and is in good condition with a rich patinated and polished finish.
A charming addition to any wine cellar or wet bar, this cider jug is sure to complement your collection of vintage and antique glassware. A wonderful choice for a casual dinner party or as an accessory in your home bar!
Norman milkmaids
Millet’s series of paintings of heroic female figures carrying traditional Norman copper milk jugs stands apart from his other images of French peasant women performing daily and seasonal labors because of their unusual specificity. The motifs were first introduced in the early 1840s and re-used for a period of three decades, culminating with the last paintings from around 1870-74.
Despite their specificity, Millet’s Norman milkmaids are also part of a larger tradition of European peasant painting that anticipates the exoticized “primitive” peasant imagery of the 1850s and early 1860s. This tradition can be seen in the depiction of a well-starched, “primitive” peasant woman by F. H. Lalaisse, in the 1852 large-format series La Normandie Illustre (fig. 9).
Betsy’s Biscuit Bomber
A recent visit to the Estrella Warbirds Museum in Paso Robles, California, was a reminder of the connection between aviation and the D-Day invasion. Several members of the original Pathfinders–the group that minted jumpers to take part in the D-Day invasion–had recently reunited for a birthday celebration. Many of them had jumped on D-Day, and the event cast a reflective shadow on everyone present.