In a French house the evening began with soup, carried to the table in something like this. Found in Béziers, the tureen is plain white-glazed earthenware with a round belly, two small scrolled handles, and a domed lid topped with a little bud finial. The covered tureen sat at the middle of the table as its centerpiece, a form handed down from the grand painted faience of the French court and made plain and white for ordinary households. Sylvie displays it on the kitchen island now, lid lifted off and set aside, the bowl holding a loose pile of lemons.
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