Two Rats in a Woven Basket Limoges Box

Two rats peek out together from a woven basket in this playful piece, looking very pleased with their hiding spot. Painted by hand in Limoges, France, it is a porcelain Limoges box with a sense of humor.

Snug in the Wicker

Rats get a bad reputation, but anyone who has kept them as pets knows they are clever, curious and surprisingly affectionate. This pair, tucked into their basket side by side, shows that friendly side and makes a small, charming scene.

Year of the Rat Celebrations

• Hand-painted porcelain from Limoges, France
• A fun addition to a mouse, rat or small animal collection
• A lucky present for someone born in the Year of the Rat

Whiskers on the Windowsill

Set it on a kitchen windowsill, a pantry shelf or a curio cabinet beside mice and hamsters. Pet rat owners, veterinarians and animal shelter volunteers make good recipients, and it is a clever Lunar New Year present when the rat comes around in the zodiac cycle.

Limoges porcelain is a hard-paste porcelain, fired at very high temperatures before the painting is done. That durable white body gives the painters a clean surface for details like the woven basket and the two little faces peeking out.