Turkish Pots
Marea Hudson visits Turkey four times every year and brings back container loads of pots, marble baths, fountains, tiles and textiles. Most of the beautiful old pots are between 30 and 150 years old, but some are as old as 400 years. The pots and jars were once used for storing oil, water and grain, or as grape juice amphoras. They can be used as indoor ornaments, and pots displayed individually or in small groups look particularly stunning in a garden setting.
Grain and olive oil jars
The bases of the grain jars taper to a narrow point, because they were intended to be partly buried. Gardeners may like to bury the pointy end so that they stand upright, or they can be supported on special stands. Many of the jars used for storing olive oil were also buried to preserve their contents, and over time the oil has seeped through the terracotta and turned the outside of the pots black. Marea has similar pots that are quite clean, so depending on your decorator theme you can choose items that are coloured from white through to terracottas, fawns and black.
Marble baths, water bottles and cradles
Marble baths (‘hamam’) can be used as water features in the garden. Marea sells them along with marble fountains, taps and tiles from Turkish bathhouses that are being demolished to make way for new ‘modern’ bathhouses throughout the villages in Turkey.
She also stocks Anatolian cradles for babies, beautifully carved doors coloured with milk paint, and large glass water bottles once used in Turkey for delivering water.
Cost and availability
Large pots and jars range from $1500 to $2500, while medium sized pots and jars are $500 to $1000. Marble baths cost $300 to $500, glass water bottles $195, the carved wooden door $625 and the baby’s cradle $220.
Turkish Bazaar artefacts are available throughout Australia. Just contact your nearest stockist or Marea Hudson on 0414 399 050.
NSW:
Artique Galleria, Pyrmont
Patio Garden Design, Crows Nest
Parterre Garden, Mosman and Woollahra
Caravan Interiors, Bondi
Pratu, Bowral
VIC:
Vivace, Prahran
Home & Abroad, Sth Yarra
Gardener’s Corner Store, Brighton
SA:
Casa di Toscana, Hyde Park
QLD:
Evergreen Garden Centre, Surfers Paradise