French Basin Museum Collection Limoges Box

Modeled on an antique French basin from a museum collection, this porcelain piece takes the form of an old salt cellar. It is a hand-painted Limoges box made in Limoges, France, with the graceful lines of an earlier age.

From the Museum Case

Before salt shakers, French tables held small open dishes called salt cellars, and the finest ones were made of porcelain or silver. This box borrows that form and the look of an antique basin, so it feels like a piece you might see behind glass in a decorative arts museum.

A Grand Table in Miniature

It suits a collector of antiques, a history buff, or anyone who sets a formal table for the holidays. Display it on a sideboard next to silver, in a china cabinet among serving pieces, or on a library shelf with books about French decorative arts.

Fitting Companions

• Hand-painted porcelain from Limoges, France
• Pairs with furniture, tableware and antique reproduction boxes
• A thoughtful thank you for a museum docent or antiques dealer

The Kaolin Story

Porcelain making took root in Limoges after a deposit of fine white kaolin clay was found near Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche in 1768.