Far East and Exotic Lands Limoges Boxes
Far East and exotic lands Limoges boxes carry the cabinet a long way from home. Blue and colorful pagodas, guardian foo dogs and a cobalt Buddha share the shelf with a terracotta warrior, Mount Fuji and a Chinese takeout carton. Farther west, the trail runs through Egyptian deserts, a Mayan pyramid and the Taj Mahal. Rochard handles much of this journey, and the workshop loves a hidden detail. The Buddha lifts away a gold lotus, the sarcophagus opens on a tiny mummy, and the mah jongg tile hides a pair of dice.
A Chinese New Year box even tucks in a folded twenty dollar bill for luck. An African safari jeep, a truck with binoculars and a map box with its own field glasses suit the man who still talks about the trip to Kenya. A mother camel walks with her calf, and an antelope keeps watch beside her young one. Each one is porcelain from Limoges, France, painted by hand and closed with a metal clasp. Group them by region on a bookcase, or set one beside the photo album from a honeymoon in Kyoto or Cairo.
