Seeking fabulous vintage finds? Unusual curios? Booth upon booth of vintage paraphernalia? Tucked within an aging square in the belly of Brussels is the Place du Jeu de Balle flea market. It is better known simply as the Marolles flea and if you’re planning on catching any of this vibrant city’s markets, THIS is the one you should see!
Regulars insist that the best pieces are to be had on Thursdays & Fridays, however we first visited on a Sunday and were thrilled with the selection. Many of the vendor’s display their stock in boxes scattered about the ground, the pieces, so heaped and jumbled, it’s a wonder that the more breakable of them are still intact. From piles of old clothes through vintage cameras and finely detailed, exquisite bronzes to art, furniture and every other variety of objects you can possibly imagine, it’s tough to leave without some sort of bauble in your hand. Frankly, this is our favourite type of market. A jumbled mess signals potential treasure.
Thankfully, the booths at “Marolles,” are queued in straight rows so navigating “the mess,” is easy peasy. We were barely into the square when a bit of turquoise pottery down the way caught our attention. We strode past the next few booths at break neck speed, dodging dawdlers, legs and feet, all of them seemingly oblivious to the fact, they were slowing our pursuit of “market gold.”
The turquoise pottery turned out to be a small bowl. It was gathered beside three others. They were all lovely but it was this blue piece that demanded our attention. Perhaps it was the rather dreary morning? Just gazing at it’s evocative colour had us perched by the Mediterranean sea, sipping wine and plucking olives, possibly from this very dish.
The price however, was higher than anticipated, so reluctantly, we put it down, walked away briefly and then thought, “Who the “h” are we kidding!”
Unfortunately, the dealer, realizing we had turned about, was not wholly interested in bargaining. His only relent was an insistence that if we were to purchase the lot of bowls, he might move ever so slightly on the price. We hemmed and hawed, picking each up, turning them this way and that. There was one other bowl that caught our attention. It was quite fine with a taller, narrower form and an interesting colour that rested somewhere between ancient putty and old cement. The glaze was further accented with streaks of a pale pink copper oxide. As tempting as it also was, the blue piece had us in its grips and anything else at this point paled by comparison. Besides, adding one more breakable item to luggage that was already close to exploding seemed to be pushing it. So, like gamblers who know when to stop, we walked away, one bowl richer, smitten with our latest acquisition.
The remainder of the market on the day we were there was truly a shoppers paradise. There were fascinating objects, with decent prices and an interesting crowd that ran the gamut from “oh so proper,” aging Belgian “cotton tops,” through travelers, a variety of locals and the very odd “sketchy” character. In other words, it’s also a great venue for just hanging out, strolling the aisles and enjoying the market vibe.
Once you’ve done the show, the area around Place de Marolles, is also ripe with a fabulous selection of antique, vintage and art shops.
We popped into a number of them before finding ourselves standing in front of the very stoic Notre Dame de La Chapelle church. Rather conveniently, it has a small “friterie” perched on its grounds. We opted for generous containers of Belgian fries (the church we must visit next time) before heading back to our temporary accommodation.
Back in lovely Ixelles, past it’s stylish doors (there are enough in this neighbourhood alone for a great coffee table book) we began to search online, curious to see what we might learn out about our new bowl.
We had assumed at first glance it might be Persian. After searching for a while, we weren’t as certain.
Pottery is a vast field. Unless you specialize in a specific area, you learn as you go. Somehow in the search, antique Asian tea bowls began to pop up. As we looked at photo upon photo of exquisite antique pieces, the other bowl, the one we’d turned away from, began to consume us. The fine porcelain, the graceful form, the colour and the glaze (which we learned is referred to as “hare’s fur” glaze) became more and more captivating! We began to question the other two bowls as well! What had we missed?
Sometimes you pass by what you don’t know. Sometimes you pass by something beautiful, only because it’s something you still haven’t had the opportunity to yet discover in your current lifetime. As much as one can have “an eye,” “an eye,” is only as good as what it knows.
The remaining bowls haunted us that night, so at dusk, just as the birds began to twitter, we threw on our clothes & with barely a coffee between us, headed back to the market, determined to obtain the rest of the group. All cautions about the vast amounts of money spent and where three more fragile items would possibly be packed were thrown to the wind. There was anticipation! Perhaps we would keep one? Perhaps we might keep then all! Perhaps these might begin a new collection?
Occasionally, as both a collector and a dealer, you get to enjoy your items for a period of time. Occasionally, items that you buy as “shop stock,” arrive home and simply never leave.
We walked briskly, eager to reach the market at opening time and beat out the crowds of people, all possibly intent on possessing three special bowls. Once there, we zipped through the populace, past the dealers shouting back and forth to each other, descending upon the right booth looking somewhat crazed and far too eager. There was the bronze we had asked about and a lamp we’d admired. This was surely the right table, but the bowls were nowhere to be seen. A different man from the day before was at the booth and when we asked him in our broken French about the pieces, throwing in what we assumed might be helpful sign language, he merely shrugged his shoulders and shaking his head, confirmed, “no bowls here”
Crushed, we walked the market another two times over, hoping we might find them hidden in a box or tucked behind a pile of rags, but sadly, the “Marolles bowls,” were gone. At least we’d grabbed the turquoise gem! And gem, it really is.
If you do check out the Place de Marolles market or any other, there are really only a few preliminary rules you might follow.
Always, buy what you love and always buy when you see it. Don’t turn, don’t waver, don’t sniffle for even a second! Negotiate well, while simulataneously ensuring that you maintain a nonchalant stance and once a price is confirmed, snatch that darling up and hold on tight. As they say in the business, “You snooze, you loose!”
With each and every object you collect, teach yourself about it and learn something, so that the very next time you’re lucky enough to be at the “Place de Marolles,” flea market, you’ll realize that the four little bowls on the table, need to be picked up and purchased right there on the spot!
And if in the worst case scenario, you “lose your bowls,” don’t fret! There will always be another show, another object, a curious bauble, a piece of art.
Having lost the bowls, we clearly had to walk the show again and of course, we managed to make a few other fun purchases including a delightful orange ceramic wall clock from the 70’s. This picked up our spirits considerably!
And then, we stopped and stuffed ourselves full of another round of homemade frites! Because, why not!
SOME STATS:
- There’s absolutely no need to plan your “shopathon” around specific market days or binding travel schedules because the “Place de Marolles,” market is open seven days a week, three hundred and sixty five days a year.
- Hold onto your bag! We had no issues, but it was suggested by friends who live in the city that it might be wise,
- We’re still trying to determine a little more about this lovely bowl. If this type of pottery is in your realm of knowledge, send us a line. We’d love to hear from you.
In the meanwhile, we’ll keep searching because that’s our thing!
