Haystack Pitcher

From cupolas to cookware and fine art to filaments, copper metal has been used in so many ways since prehistoric times. Today, antique, new and vintage copper coffee tables, mirrors, lamps and other furniture and decor can bring a warm metallic flourish to interiors of any kind.

In years spanning 8,700 BC (the time of the first-known copper pendant) until roughly 3,700 BC, it may have been the only metal people knew how to manipulate.

Valuable deposits of copper were first extracted on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus around 4,000 BC — well before Europe’s actual Bronze Age (copper + tin = bronze). Tiny Cyprus is even credited with supplying all of Egypt and the Near East with copper for the production of sophisticated currency, weaponry, jewelry and decorative items.

In the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries, master painters such as Leonardo da Vinci, El Greco, Rembrandt and Jan Brueghel created fine works on copper. (Back then, copper-based pigments, too, were all the rage.) By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, decorative items like bas-relief plaques, trays and jewelry produced during the Art Deco, Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau periods espoused copper. These became highly valuable and collectible pieces and remain so today.

Copper’s beauty, malleability, conductivity and versatility make it perhaps the most coveted nonprecious metal in existence. In interiors, polished copper begets an understated luxuriousness, and its reflectivity casts bright, golden and earthy warmth seldom realized in brass or bronze. (Just ask Tom Dixon.)

Outdoors, its most celebrated attribute — the verdigris patina it slowly develops from exposure to oxygen and other elements — isn’t the only hue it takes. Architects often refer to shades of copper as russet, ebony, plum and even chocolate brown. And Frank Lloyd Wright, Renzo Piano and Michael Graves have each used copper in their building projects.

Find antique, new and vintage copper furniture and decorative objects on 1stDibs.

Perfect for entertaining, a dinner party or a small luncheon, vintage, new and antique pitchers are versatile pieces to keep in any collection.

Whether you’re dining in the great outdoors, freshening up drinks in the living room or making a batch of fresh-squeezed juice for breakfast in the kitchen, a pitcher is a must-have feature of your dining and entertaining set.

Prior to indoor plumbing and the advent of sinks, people paired a pitcher with a wash basin on their bedside stand. Today, an antique washstand might be used as a nightstand or bedside table. These pitchers, along with the washstand, were essential in any bedroom.

Today, in displaying vintage ceramic pitchers on your Welsh kitchen dresser or in a corner cupboard, you’re inviting a pop of color and an alluring texture to mingle with your other serveware. But when entertaining, you’re likely going to put this decorative vessel to work. Some glazed stoneware and metal pitchers are outfitted with hinged lids to provide insulation, while potters and other craft artists at the time might have made complementary glasses or teacups to pair with their pitchers for a complete serving set. Glass and stoneware pitchers are perfect for serving beverages, but if you’re serving from a metal pitcher, you’ll want to ensure that the material is food-grade stainless steel.

For a simple home accent, consider using that wonderfully aging vintage metal pitcher as a vase for your flowers (be sure to use a watertight plastic liner or insert) or as a receptacle to display and organize your cooking utensils. Given the venturesome design sensibility that we associate with mid-century modernism, a mid-century modern pitcher is going to prove a unique and sophisticated decorative touch to any room in your home. While your farmhouse-style interior is practically begging for the earthy tones of a terracotta pitcher, an ironstone pitcher will bring ornate details to your mantel.

Find a collection of new, vintage and antique pitchers today on 1stDibs.