Rochard Nutcracker on a Green Base Limoges Box

A Christmas nutcracker stands at attention on a green base in this Rochard Limoges box, ready to guard the holiday mantel. It is hand-painted in Limoges, France, and it brings a favorite holiday figure to porcelain.

Standing Guard Under the Tree

Nutcrackers have been part of German Christmas traditions for centuries, and Tchaikovsky's ballet made them beloved around the world. This one stands on a green base, much like the carved wooden soldiers lined up on mantels every December. Rochard paints each one by hand, so the uniform and details vary slightly from piece to piece.

Waltz of the Flowers

• A Rochard design, hand-painted in Limoges, France
• A nutcracker standing on a green base
• Joins sugar plum fairy, toy soldier and Christmas tree pieces

Curtain Up on the Holidays

Set it on a mantel among evergreen garland, on a piano beside the Nutcracker score, or in a curio cabinet with other Christmas pieces. It makes a charming present for a ballet dancer after her first Nutcracker performance, a family that attends the ballet every December, or a collector who already has a row of wooden nutcrackers on display. It also suits a friend with German roots who keeps the old holiday traditions alive. Brought out each year, it becomes part of the season's familiar cast.