Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

French Antique Guessing Game

PicMonkey Collage guess

French antique guessing game…how many have I had? The last one took nearly three days before someone guessed it. 

One of the reasons I enjoy going to the French antique markets and brocantes is for the enjoyable history lessons that are easily shared. Those old objects at the antique markets, have stories and in those stories meaningful purposes often with intricate details to the history and culture of France.

I credit my ability for learning to speak French by going to the antique markets. French Husband has never spoken French to me (that is another story) and I never spoke French to my children… They say that the easiest way to learn French is to fall in love, or fall into one's passion… Hence, the brocante bug gave me antiques, history and language. 

 

Guessing Game french antique

 

It isn't often, anymore, that something surprises me, or that I don't know something about the old objects at the antique markets. I guess with twenty three years of weekly antiquing few surprises are left. Nevertheless, every now and then something pops out and says, "HA HA! Gotcha!" 

That is what happened this last weekend.

Do you know what this is and what it was used for?

 

French Antique Object

Wooden.

Almost a perfect square.

Thirty or forty inches.

With a shelf in the front.

1800s.

 

French antique guessing game

 

What I thought it was, it wasn't. And that is when I asked to take a photo to offer it as a guessing game object.

Take a guess in the comment section. Or send me an email. If you don't know what it is, or you think someone has guessed it, give me a creative response. The first person to describe what it is, and what it is called will win a prize from my online brocante shop, and the one I deem creative will win a prize too. 

PicMonkey Collage antique guessing game

 

Happy Guessing, and yes you can guess more than once.

I hope it stumps you.

Comments

51 responses to “French Antique Guessing Game”

  1. Kit

    It was for supporting panes of glass while the glazier was working on the window frame. These days glaziers drive around with huge great frames on the back of their vans to keep the glass safe, but in those days glass panes were small and windows made up of several panes, so this would help him measure out each pane and keep them safe at the same time.

    Reply
  2. Sharon Tomlinson

    I’m pretty sure it is a portable pigeon poop protector. It dangles over doorways to catch the droppings.

    Reply
  3. Anne Lenz

    châssis de fenêtre?
    Greetings from Germany
    Anne

    Reply
  4. Chrissie Who?

    This is a stand used for painting. If I recall properly, many artists along the river Seine, used these to hold their canvas frames while painting sceneries of Paris.

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  5. Chrissie Who?

    This is a stand used to hold canvas frames for painting purposes. Many artists along the river Seine were often times found using this type of stand while painting sceneries of the river.

    Reply
  6. Zosia

    It’s a part of a confessional. This is the “window” through which you confess your sins to the priest. You can rest your hands on the shelf. The shown “trellis” would have a denser caning or wiring in between to obscure the priest and the sinner.

    Reply
  7. Debbie

    Is it a stylish multi-framed wall unit to display special photos/paintings including a small and attractive mantle?

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  8. kadee

    Bakers used this to transport the freshly made bagettes to the weekly brocantes. These free standing carts were the first known pop-up shops. The person chosen that day to do this chore was told not to return to the patisserie until they were sold out. With glee, off went the baker knowing that when the cart was empty he could fill it with treasures he spied while there. That night he would send out a flier to all in his village listing the precious items he found. It is believed that this was the first known account of the beginnings of ebay!

    Reply
  9. Jackie

    Maybe for bricks or stones to make it easy for the mason to carry a large load without breaking his back. Though I think the panes of glass idea makes more sense…

    Reply
  10. Sharon Penney-Morrison

    Could be a glass pane holder, or….used to hold a long basket of flowering vine’s, that creep in and out of the squares?

    Reply
  11. Paulita

    It is obviously a time out holder for naughty children while their mothers are cleaning. The child’s head goes through the middle, the hands go on either side and he/she follows his mother around, holding cleaning sprays on the shelf and hanging cleaning rags from the ends. This is kind of like the medieval “stocks” but more loving and useful.

    Reply
  12. sue at naperville now

    the lattice tells me that it’s more than an easel, so I will guess it is for training up plants (or giving them art lessons. either).

    Reply
  13. Kadee Metzger

    This cart was used to transport the freshly made bagettes to the weekly brocantes. Bakers knew that the crowds would be large thereby drawing attention to their shop rather than the other patisserie down the lane. These carts are the first known pop-up shops to exist! When sold out, the baker now had a means to transport all the treasures he found while there! That night, he stayed up late writing down tempting descriptions of the items he purchased that day. Fliers were attached to all the doors in the village with this information and where they could be bought. And THIS was the first account of the beginnings of etsy!!!

    Reply
  14. becky up a hill

    This was the shelf that was attached to the hen house and the kitchen. The farmer’s wife reached through the lattice to get her morning eggs.

    Reply
  15. Donna

    I suspect that if I found the right Santon, I would find this on it’s back. This object was probably used by an elderly woman to carry a bale of hay or straw for farm animals.

    Reply
  16. Amy Kortuem

    It’s an old window frame with a ledge for pigeons to roost. And poop.

    Reply
  17. Susan

    OK a wheelbarrow or artists easel ?

    Reply
  18. Bev

    I believe that Kaydee is right. It’s for transporting baguettes.

    Reply
  19. Sharon Mattern

    I think that it is a drying rack for herbs.

    Reply
  20. Peggy Braswell

    It was transportation(thus wheels) for paintings on their journeys to & from the artist studio to their new home. The lattice + the shelf held the painting upright while it was transported to the new owner. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

    Reply
  21. Chris M.

    A window trellis?

    Reply
  22. Alan

    I think it would be good for drying out wet firewood next to the kitchen fireplace. Either that, or something from a S&M club.

    Reply
  23. denisesolsrud@hotmail.com

    I like Zosia’s answer. Bestest,Denise

    Reply
  24. Marilyn

    My mind is thinking of all the fun things to do with it now, eventhough the most obvious looks to be an artist easel. Since that is what is obvious, it certainly cannot be that. I would say it was for the kitchen wall to hold pretty towels and the shelf held condiments.

    Reply
  25. g

    i don’t know what it is , BUT I LIKE IT….the painting isn’t too bad either-i’d take both if i were there….

    Reply
  26. annette

    Its a table easel. The reason i say this is cause of the paint flecks on it.The patina of the wood is wonderful.

    Reply
  27. Jody

    It looks like a shelf to hold plants and the lattice part was used to train vines…? Love the shape & patina of the old wood!

    Reply
  28. Suzy Meek Geere

    Hi Corey,There was one of these in our house when we bought it,it was next to the stove,and they were using it for hanging saucepans!

    Reply
  29. Lorelei

    Perhaps this is a tomato trellis and the as the vines creep in and out of the squares and tomatoes are growing rosy red, plump chickens roost on the shelf eager to eat the worms that want to bite the tasty tomatoes. Later the housewife would use the tomatoes and the chickens in a wonderful stew!

    Reply
  30. Helen

    I think it is a stand for the resting of a tapestry, weaving or embroidery and the shelf is for placing the threaded bobbins, shuttles or pirns.

    Reply
  31. Lorelei

    If I had this beauty, I would hang it on the side of my shed to act as a window and hold little pots of herbs. Birds could perch in the squares or it could hold clothespins, garden shears, a bottle of wine, a spindle of twine….

    Reply
  32. pattwolverton71@comcast.net

    I think this is an easel for sculpting. The flat pieces that go on the front of a building. They have them at Gladding McBean in Lincoln but much larger.

    Reply
  33. Lemon Tree Tami

    I think it was the antique equivalent of a copier machine. The artist would “frame” their subject in the window and then draw what he saw in each little window. The shelf was used to hold their paintbrushes and pencils.

    Reply
  34. Judy

    I don’t know WHAT it is, but I like it! And I am laughing so hard at Sharon T.’s answer “portable pigeon poop protector!

    Reply
  35. momof5

    It hung from a ladder or wall to hold painting supplies while painting frescoes on walls and ceilings.

    Reply
  36. Sandra Thomas

    a music stand for sheet music

    Reply
  37. Ellen

    It was the first window screen…okay, no!
    It was the bars in the first jail. It had a shelf for the prisoner to repent for his sins. This was before wrought iron bars changed the world. This was a small window in a large door to keep the prisoner intact. Maybe Jack the Ripper was held captive behind it…I just heard recently someone wrote a book about him being a her?! It was for birds, alright…jail birds!

    Reply
  38. Ellen

    I wanted to add, yes, Jack was supposedly in London, but he was in France, first… Or maybe that was his twin Jane Ripper?!

    Reply
  39. littlebadwolf

    it is a pack frame for some crop-i’m not sure which-to be schlepped in from the fields, or it is a carrier for bricks.

    Reply
  40. Julie M.

    Comment dit-on “tic tac toe” en français?
    : )
    Julie Marie
    ps My first thought was also…pour baguettes!

    Reply
  41. WendyW

    I think this is a wooden shelf for the kitchen.I can see nails protruding out of the wooden beams. I would say it was for drying herbs or the hanging of pots and pans. However I think Kit is right when she states it is a frame for supporting panes of glass used by a glazier.

    Reply
  42. Tongue in Cheek

    Clever!!

    Reply
  43. Tongue in Cheek

    I liked its form too, and tried to imagine where I could put it in my house. But to no avail, I had to walk away.

    Reply
  44. Helen

    I will have another guess as I look carefully and see pinlike holes on two rows of the wood – I think perhaps a canvas has been stretched firmly over this lattice work ready for the artist to work on. Shelf for the paintbrushes and perhaps tiny pots of paint.

    Reply
  45. Tongue in Cheek

    Hi Suzy
    I know what you mean. That is what I thought it was too. But this one was smaller, no hooks and the wood thicker. That is when I asked “What is this?”
    And find out I was wrong.

    Reply
  46. Tongue in Cheek

    lol!!

    Reply
  47. Tongue in Cheek

    Hi Donna
    Santon yes, but they wouldn’t be carrying hay.
    C

    Reply
  48. Tongue in Cheek

    What imagination! I could see a child wearing this and handing products from the little shelf to his parent.

    Reply
  49. Sue

    I thought exactly what Jody said – “It looks like a shelf to hold plants and the lattice part was used to train vines.” Yep, that’s it!

    Reply
  50. Diana

    Is it a hod / hod carrier to transport bricks?

    Reply
  51. Cindy

    I think it was a bookstand. I would say for holding a Bible, but it’s not fancy enough … maybe a cookbook?

    Reply

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