We didn’t even know we were looking for them, but then… an ancient, weather-burnished Italian oil jar stood waiting for discovery.  An old wooden wagon with softly faded color appeared just inside a black, dark barn.  No… TWO wagons.  One small, aged jar next to a shop door keeping the secret of scores more hiding in a yard on a quiet, residential street on the outskirts of Athens.  We are addicted to the thrill of finding relics of another time and bringing them back to Eye of the Day for you to place in your garden as a focal point or a working element.

One of our favorite finds happened last winter.  From across a busy street, Julia pointed and we looked.  A little Greek jar invited us to come closer.  Inside the shop were a few more pots of different sizes scattered among more common antiques: furniture, tabletop ornaments, lamps, mirrors.  But the traditional Greek pots held our interest.  We began a conversation with the store owner and soon found ourselves being driven by her husband to their lovely home.  Much further than we thought we would be driven… were we safe?  Did we know what we were doing?  YES, apparently so.  Sometime later, after generous consumption of Retsina and thick, heady coffee, Julia stood on the patio overlooking the small lot next door and looked down to an excellent collection of old Greek jars.  Some large, others small, many whitewashed, some soft blue.  They have been the typical storage container in Greece for centuries.  And now you can see them at Eye of the Day.

As many other days, this one was made special as we found what we were unaware of seeking, adding a new layer of texture to our already burgeoning selection.

To view an image of one of the old Greek Pithari jars from our collection visit: #/products/planters-and-pots/antiques/old-greek-pithari-1/

There is some mystery… some magic connected with the pottery of Anduze.  At Eye of the Day everyone seems to be drawn to the section of the store holding our great cache of these pots.  The variety of colors, finishes and sizes feeds the eye and the imagination.  The little village of Anduze in the south of France is known as “The Gateway to Cevennes”, but its infinitely more interesting feature is that it is the birthplace and ancestral home of the Anduze Vase.  Apparently, sometime during the 16th century a potter from Anduze spotted some Italian Medici vases at a faire in Beauclaire and was inspired by the beautiful decoration of swags, fruit and flowers and bee-lined back home to the Gateway to the Cevennes and started tinkering.  The vases provided a way in which orange trees could be grown in this area -outdoors in the warm months, then moved indoors in cool weather.  But, I suppose people became lazy and many of the pots were left permanently outside.  THIS, my friends turned out to be great.  The glazes would flake and change color and lo: the unsurpassed antiqued patina that we see on old and new Anduze vases today was created by mother nature.  The shape of the vase is sturdy: short round pedestal, or foot, and thick-rimmed opening, making it difficult to blow over in the Mistrals of southern France.

The French Anduze Vase of today is handmade by one of just a few factories in this small Provencal village.  The swags and “macarons” (badges) are hand applied along with colors and antiquing finishes and, as you have probably already figured out, WE have visited and chosen our vases for Eye of the Day.  Let me relay to you some colors: vert, bleu, jaune, miele, jaspe, ivoire.  There’s a color mix, known in France as Couleurs du Soliel which includes yellow, green, warm brown … you get it.   And funny, there’s one called celadon, but it’s not, it’s faded Tiffany blue, or early morning sky blue, or cloud’s edge blue.  See what I mean about the mystery (or mystere)?

And, oh, the Vin de Pays!

Pithos (plural pithoi) is the ancient Greek word for a large storage jar of a characteristic shape.  Many pithoi were excavated in the Palace of Knossos in Greece. Pithoi were almost universally made of clay, an ideal material that kept out water, dirt, insects and rodents.  Most were as tall or taller than a human being (excerpted from Wikipedia).

…but to us the word “PITHOS”  evokes “Raki”, “Tsipouro”, “Tzatziki” and the time we have spent in Greece with some amazing traditional potters.

Again, the Eye of the Day difference shows.  Not at all satisfied with ordering Greek pottery from a representative or sales person in the U.S., on the Internet Brent located a gentleman willing to meet and show us a traditional factory and the pottery produced there using ancient methods and designs.  Another traveling, finding, seeing, soak-up-the-food/drink/culture adventure! No problem.

Something we love about Greek pottery is its unique buff color.  And… the potters are true artisans.  Each potter has one or two styles they make, everyone specializes, and in the older factories the potters wheel may even be powered by foot, sometimes a pair of someone else’s hands as well.  No two vessels will ever be identical.  After the work is done, these clay-encrusted, hard-working people clean up (amazingly well!) and spend the rest of their hours, well into the night entertaining us with food, homemade wine, raki and tsipouro and traditional music in their local taverna and their homes.  Aahh… Another home, sweet home for us.

Now when you see our Greek pottery, you’ll admire everything about it even more.  Oh, and the Pithos is not the only shape, by the way.  Multitudes of sizes, styles and unpronounceable names are available at Eye of the Day, and at .  We only hope you aren’t needing any Pithoi to keep out insects and rodents.

One day, many years ago, we were driving through the excellent Tuscan countryside looking for a few good terracotta factories for Eye of the Day.  As random chance would intervene, as it often does, behind a chain link fence we found Terrecotte San Rocco.  We had met Marcello at the Paris gift show and had never seen terracotta pottery quite like what he had to offer, so we made the trip to Tuscany to find his factory.  The pottery was even better in situ and so began a beautiful friendship.

Since that fate-filled trip, Eye of the Day has grown to include many different products from all over the world, but the terracotta containers, planters and pottery of Terrecotte San Rocco are the heart of our collection.  Marcello’s terracotta is not only beautiful, encompassing many styles and shapes, but somewhat recently he began using the highest quality clay available – Galestro clay, which is the same material that is used to manufacture pottery in the famed area of Impruneta.  The clay is found in a small region of Tuscany and has been used to produce terracotta pottery for centuries. These clay pots are fired at a very high temperature causing the elevated levels of pyrites and silica to change structure, resulting in an extremely hard material unique in its color and texture and setting them apart from other terracotta clays.

Here’s another thing about San Rocco: Marcello is not the kind of guy to rest on his accomplishments and find satisfaction in a production that is “just fine”.  Since we first met, there is a newer, larger factory, contemporary and more edgy designs and new dynamic clay colors.  He is also working with glazes to produce a different look entirely.  And, in case you don’t know this about him, Brent feels the same drive Marcello does, always looking for a way to make Eye of the Day better, more interesting, never satisfied that it is “just fine”– they make great partners.

And, ok… Marcello and his family live in TUSCANY, remember.  Food, wine, vistas.  All of them rich and full of life.  We are, in every capacity, extremely glad that we made that first trip to Tuscany.  It changed our lives and the constantly changing life of Eye of the Day as well.

Even though we look at our merchandise every day, we are captivated by what we see.  Each of us has our favorite thing and here we are sharing them with you.

You know Brent.  He loves Gladding McBean.  He loved Gladding McBean at first sight.  As he has grown to become even better acquainted with this product, he finds it is not just that he loves the beauty of the glazes and shapes created by this company.  There’s much more.  The quality of this product is unsurpassed, which is something that is disappearing from our culture; the styles are classic; the small production of this company makes it unique; it is American made and the company has been in business since 1885; its value means it is already an heirloom for our children’s children. The rest of us agree.

Julia loves and admires the old Greek jars.  “They resonate history, culture, tradition and lost in our “throw-away” society.  The jars stand tall and quietly proud in our greenhouse, unassuming and yet ever-inspiring.  These Greek jars, also known as pithari, have acted as my creative muse for our advertisements and web design.”

The little cast iron urns are Lisa’s favorite.  We have three sizes ranging in price from $15 to $25.  Planted with one of our little succulents, they become a great gift or centerpiece for your table at an affordable price.  Lisa also loves to plant the urns and display them in our front entry and gift shop.  Seeing our customers choose the “perfect plant” from our nursery to go with their urn selection makes her love them even more.

One of our newest items, the French Drop Jar, caught Audrey’s eye immediately.  Was it the look of the lichen/mossy finish that reminded her of beautiful old-growth Manzanita trees? The yellow lip of the jar offering a neat modern contrast to the rest of the pot? The ancient technique of molding clay around coiled rope to achieve the classic shape of the pot?  Yes. To all.

Suzi’s love affair with the Chelsea Garden Fountain is a long one. At the original Eye of the Day in Solvang, it was the fountain set up in front of the shop’s window and we still will always have one set up at Eye of the Day.  It is graceful, perfectly proportioned, timeless and a wonderful value.  This one has acquired a unique patina and fits beautifully in its current setting of pale blue Anduze pots.

When you are visiting Eye of the Day let us know what your favorite thing might take your picture and share it with the world!