Holiday French Horn Limoges Box in Blue and Gold

A French horn coils around itself in rich blue, trimmed with gold, ready to sound the first notes of the holiday season. It is a hand-painted porcelain Limoges box, made in Limoges, France, and designed with Christmas in mind.

Brass Notes of December

The horn is the voice of so many carols and winter concerts, which is what makes it such a natural Christmas subject. Here the familiar curves of tubing and the wide bell are rendered in porcelain, and the blue and gold coloring gives it a festive, dressed-up look that sits comfortably beside ornaments and garland.

Sounding Off Under the Tree

• Hand-painted porcelain from Limoges, France
• A seasonal piece for a Christmas music collection
• Joins nicely with drums, bells and caroler figures

From the Band Room to the Mantel

Horn players, orchestra members and church choir directors tend to light up at a piece like this. Give it after a holiday concert, tuck it beside the advent calendar, or bring it out each December along with the nutcrackers. When the season ends it can stay out on a piano or music shelf, since the instrument itself is welcome all year.

Porcelain has been fired in Limoges since the late 1700s, after fine white kaolin was found near Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, and painting by hand is still how pieces like this horn get their color.