Fishwife - Poissonnière - Size Puce (Flea) / Chip

Fishwife - Poissonnière

Colorfully dressed, she has a portable scale (copper steelyard) fastened to her belt and with a proud humility commonly brings a bountiful gift of not one, but two, basketfuls of fish to the manger. As a fishwife, or fishlass, she is a woman who sells or works with fish. She is not necessarily a married woman, as the word "wife" here simply means woman. She is the female version of a fishmonger. Of course, she may indeed be the fishmonger's wife. She may be rough around the edges, but she is a hearty soul - one who has existed in Provencal life "forever."

Enjoy our blog entry on the Fishwife, who is considered to be the No. 14 "Essential" Santons for a Provençal creche.

Provençal Figurines by C. Galtier and E. Cattin, translated by John Lee (Editions Ouest-France, 13 rue du Breil, Rennes, 1996) provides a list of the top 20 Santons "essential" to the Provençal creche.