Antique Terminology: JARDINIÈRES AND CACHEPOTS

Jardinières and cachepots are both meant to hold "posies" (e.g., flowers) but they differ slightly.

A jardinière (pronounced "zhar din NYAIR") is an ornamental stand or large container for plants and/or flowers.

Here's a 19th c. French stone jardinière:

A cachepot is a kind of tabletop version of a jardinière but with

a twist: it's pronounced "CASH poe" and is an ornamental

container used to conceal and hold a flower or plant pot.

So it's typically smaller than a jardinière and sits on a tabletop,

mantel, shelf, etc.

Here's a painted tole (pronounced "toll" and means painted

tinware) cachepot:

Here's an image of my favorite jardinière, this one an 18th

century Louis XV piece:

And here's a decorative wrought iron one:

Note how these jardinières are plant stands that sit on the floor.

Compare this with the cachepots shown below-they're smaller

and primarily meant to hide an unsightly flower pot on a surface

like a table.

Here's a pretty cachepot that's cloisonne (pronounced "CLOY

zun nay"and meaning enamel inlaid and fired between thin

metal strips):

This one is ceramic and in the Northern Italian taste:

And here's a pair of 19th century Imari cachepots: