Small Porcelain Picnic Basket Limoges Box

A little picnic basket, ready for a blanket on the grass and a lazy lunch, takes shape here in porcelain. This retired design is a hand-painted Limoges box made in Limoges, France.

Lunch on the Lawn

Few things say summer quite like a picnic basket, with its promise of sandwiches, fruit and a long afternoon in the sun. This small version keeps the shape simple and friendly. It is easy to imagine it being carried down to a lake or set beside a vineyard row.

Packing the Picnic Shelf

• A retired design, painted by hand in France
• Fits summer, picnic, food and garden themes
• Teams up well with wine bottle, cheese and fruit boxes

Spread the Blanket

Put it on a sunroom table, a cottage bookshelf or a summer mantel with a few seashells or flowers. It makes a sweet housewarming present, a thank-you for a garden party host, or a memento of a first date spent picnicking in the park. Couples who love long weekend drives often find a spot for it.

Rooted in Limoges

White kaolin clay was found near Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche in 1768, and porcelain has been made around Limoges ever since. Simple shapes like this basket show off that fine white body under the paint.