Canty and Couthy

These are Cantes, or ornamental drinking vessels. Ubiquitous in Catalonia and like most tourist orientated objects range from fine antiques to mass produced rubbish.

I started to collect them twenty years ago, as easy representative and relatively portable art forms, no matter how mass produced, they are at least mostly made in Spain rather than China and are pretty and genuine souvenirs.

They are all derived from the porro or wine dispenser, that thing with the long spout that spills wine all down your shirt front, some are slightly more sophisticated and need to be merely pointed in the correct direction to produce a flow.

They do get produced in regional variations, the french border produces thin elegant shapes and the valleys of Garrotxa the thick stubby peasant ones. Novelty ones in the shape of teapots and powder horns can be found.

I don't suppose they will ever have value, but they will always be a reminder of places visited and times recalled. For me they are slightly more interesting than fridge magnets.