Potpourri (vessel)

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Potpourri (without lid) from the Stockelsdorf faience factory

As Potpourri ( fr. Pot pourri "rotten pot") refers to a vessel, were kept in the fragrant plant parts that should serve to improve the room fragrance.

Potpourris were typical (luxury) components of middle-class living culture of the 18th and 19th centuries.

vessel

These are usually bulbous, vase-shaped vessels - mostly made of faience , earthenware or porcelain - which are equipped with an openwork lid and (underneath) an unopened inner lid. The vessels were often lavishly decorated or painted in multiple colors. In the absence of the openwork lid and the uninterrupted inner lid, potpourri vessels can be distinguished from vases by the support edge for the inner lid.

Content and use

In the potpourri, a scent mixture of parts of plants (flowers, roots, herbs, peel of citrus fruits and spices) was used - sometimes with the addition of essential oils or plant extracts. When using fresh flowers, they were preserved with the addition of salt. Other parts of the plant were filled in while they were dry. After a while, the mixture formed a fragrant, but at the same time unsightly mass. Ready-to-use fragrance mixtures for potpourri came on the market later.

The vessels were usually placed near the furnace. If the uninterrupted inner lid was removed beforehand, the scent - reinforced by the heat - could flow out through the perforated lid.

Others

A mixture of dried plant parts known as “potpourri”

The - rather unsightly - fillings of the potpourris were later replaced by dry mixtures of plant parts, which could be refreshed again and again with fragrances (for example essential oils). In the course of time, the shape of the vessels also changed and flat bowls - some with an openwork lid - were made and used. In the following, special “potpourri” vessels disappeared and the term “potpourri” is now used for the fragrance mixture itself.

literature

  • Paul Zubek: Schleswig-Holstein faience, inventory of Schleswig-Holstein. Landesmuseums (= art in Schleswig-Holstein , volume 24). Wachholtz, Neumünster 1983, ISBN 3-529-02540-2 .

Web links

Commons : Potpourri  - collection of images, videos and audio files