Provençal lady carrying olives

With nothing but a basket of olives, the Provençal woman returns from the olive groves: one of the most emblematic scenes of the Provençal winter. From November to January, nets are spread under the trees and the mills run at full capacity. The olives become oil, and the oil accompanies the festive meals, right up to the gros souper on Christmas Eve.

At 30 cm, our Provençal woman with olive basket belongs to our large-size range. She is no longer just a Nativity santon but a true clay sculpture, to display in an entryway, a living room or a display case. The face, the costume and the basket take on their full scope and reveal the work of the modeler and the painters.

A piece of this size requires special expertise. The clay must dry very slowly, for up to two months, before a gradual nine-hour firing at 960 °C and forty-eight hours of cooling in the closed kiln. The matte paint is then applied by hand, color after color, with each motif gone over several times.

Our large pieces are displayed in our shop-workshop at 65 cours Gambetta in Aix-en-Provence. For shipping, this santon is wrapped on its own, with paper and bubble wrap, then carefully wedged in its box; it ships within 2 to 3 business days.