Vide-Grenier: Treasure Hunting in Provence
One of our favorite things to do while in France is to visit a vide-grenier. A vide-grenier is literally translated as “empty your attic” and rather than just being a flea market or village-wide yard sale, it can be an event filled with treasures. Yes, you will see people just selling their children’s old toys and outgrown baby clothes, but you’ll also find vendors with antique embroidered linens, fabulous furniture oozing with French appeal, and a surprising amount of Limoges porcelain. One time there was a collection of art and sketchbooks from the beginning of the 20th century. What a treat!
Soup Tureens or Chamber Pots?
Some of the most intriguing things I have seen are the French chamber pots. Yes, you read that correctly! At first, I thought they were soup tureens, as they were highly decorated, and often painted with flowers and curlicues, but then I began to notice that there were some subtle and not so subtle differences. My confusion was compounded by the prevalence of actual soup tureens to be found. Large, imposing beasts worthy of the best soupe à l’oignon or bisque, usually with a lip in the rim to hold a ladle and sometimes with both the lid and the accompanying porcelain base. Ah, life goals…
French Tradition
I discovered that there is an old French wedding tradition where the leftover alcohol and food from the wedding celebration was collected in a (hopefully new) chamber pot and presented to the newly-weds for them to consume, giving them the necessary energy to survive the night! There are variations to the theme, sometimes there would just be alcohol in there, sometimes there would be everything, including meat, and other times there would be a hunt through the celebrations to find the couple, who having retired earlier would be awoken and made to drain the contents of this pot de chambre. Mon Dieu, quelle horreur! Thankfully, the tradition has changed over the years, so now it’s usually just a mixture of Champagne and chocolate. Hey, I could live with that!
We try to include a visit to a vide-grenier during every workshop and retreat, weather and time permitting, so when you come with us, you’ll never know what you might find!
French Tradition
I discovered that there is an old French wedding tradition where the leftover alcohol and food from the wedding celebration was collected in a (hopefully new) chamber pot and presented to the newly-weds for them to consume, giving them the necessary energy to survive the night! There are variations to the theme, sometimes there would just be alcohol in there, sometimes there would be everything, including meat, and other times there would be a hunt through the celebrations to find the couple, who having retired earlier would be awoken and made to drain the contents of this pot de chambre. Mon Dieu, quelle horreur! Thankfully, the tradition has changed over the years, so now it’s usually just a mixture of Champagne and chocolate. Hey, I could live with that!
We try to include a visit to a vide-grenier during every workshop and retreat, weather and time permitting, so when you come with us, you’ll never know what you might find!
Want to go treasure hunting in Provence?
We plan for a visit to a Vide-Grenier on each of our workshops in France, take a look at our available dates in Provence here. If you find you’re experiencing the urge to go treasure-hunting in Provence, send us a note, we can help you with that.
Blogger: Shirley Hambrick
Shirley Hambrick is an award-winning stained-glass artist and painter. She has lived in Scotland, Spain and the USA. Shirley is part of the Workshops in France team and attended over 20 of these trips. She writes about her adventures.
Being Scottish, she was trained at Edinburgh College of Art and Design. Shirley teaches in the West Virginia area and you can some of her beautiful work here.
Your Artist Getaway Awaits
Check out more blogs about art workshops, tips and hacks for artists traveling in France and Scotland.
Les Carrières des Lumières Explores Venice 2022
This year at Les Carrières des Lumières, the famous underground quarry is once again transformed into a theater of mind-blowing proportions through the wizardry of technology, showing projected masterworks from Venice as well as the work of Yves Klein in Infinite Blue onto its limestone walls.
George Howard: Photographer at Large in Provence
Occasionally we meet a non-painting partner whose own work inspires the rest of us. The photographs by George Howard are immediately identifiable for their graphic color and beautiful light, the same qualities that artists seek in our work.
Yellow Ochre Lifted from Nature’s Palette
Yellow ochre is a naturally mined pigment used by artists everywhere. One of the must-see villages in Provence is Rousillon, where this multi-hued pigment was mined. You see it as orange, pink, and red on the walls of all houses and the red rock faces for the surrounding hills.
