Description :This oule is of exceptional size. Its sides, which are no thicker than 3mm, appear to be consolidated by five large, wavy vertical bands that also serve a decorative purpose. Five clusters painted with six small flames complete this décor.

The oule is a short-necked recipient devoid of handle or spout. During the Carolingian period, oules had inward-turned lips that were nearly horizontal. During the 10th century, the lip became more angular, and took on a molded, so-called "banded" profile, which it would retain until the end of the Middle Ages. From the 13th to the 15th centuries, the band became less and less pronounced until disappearing entirely as this type of pottery waned in popularity. Oules are omnipresent in domestic waste pits from the 11th to the late 13th century. They are stocky and have spherical bodies. They are never glazed, but almost systematically display a painted décor, including horizontal flames or large spiraling lines in the 10th and 11th centuries, and small groups of vertical or slanted flames in the 12th and 13th centuries.
Starting in the 14th centuries, the oule became more slender, and its capacity smaller and more standardized. It became increasingly rare and totally disappeared in the mid-15th century. A few rare examples, with small mouths and capacities of over eight liters, maintain very marked banded lips. These oules, with their painted décor and appliquéd bands, are a sort of holdover of 9th and 10th century-style oules.
The oule was a multi-purpose container, and was used for cooking as well as storing food, as its lip, with its characteristic profile and molding made it easy to seal it shut.