French Country · Encyclopedia · The Cabinetmakers' Work
Provençal bread box
From the eighteenth century, one of the finest carved pieces of Provençal furniture, in walnut and cherry. The household's bread was kept in it, and it keeps its feet from the time when it stood on top of the kneading trough.
French: panetière · Provence · walnut and cherry
At a glance
- Region: Provence
- Woods: walnut and cherry
- From: the eighteenth century onward
- Recognise it: open spindle sides, carved cornice, feet
What it is
The panetière is a box for bread with spindle-filled openings that let the air circulate, a carved cornice and a door. It is one of the most celebrated works of Provençal cabinetmakers.
Feet on a wall piece
Originally the panetière was placed on top of the pétrin, the kneading trough, which is why it has feet. Later it was hung on the wall, yet it kept its feet, a detail that makes it instantly recognisable.
Collecting and displaying it
Fine panetières are much copied. Look at the spindles, which should be turned by hand and slightly irregular, the depth and crispness of carving and the consistency of wear. Check whether the feet and cornice are original.
Hung above a sideboard or a trough, a panetière is the signature piece of a Provençal kitchen.
Source: Les Trésors de France: vieux métiers et objets d'autrefois (Éditions Rustica, Détours en France collection, 1995), pp. 124–129, with general background on the object. The book was published in 1995, so workshops, people and figures are described as they were then. Regional names and dates are given as the book records them; a style or a region of origin does not by itself date an individual piece.