Rochard Harvest Scarecrow Limoges Box

For centuries the scarecrow has watched over fall fields, and here he keeps watch over a shelf instead. Rochard shaped this Limoges box in porcelain and had it painted by hand in Limoges, France.

Standing Guard Over the Corn

The scarecrow is one of the few figures that belongs equally to Halloween and to Thanksgiving. He is a little spooky at dusk and wholly friendly by daylight, which is why he slips so easily between a haunted October display and a November harvest table. In porcelain, the old field guardian leans more toward country charm than fright.

Where the Crows Dare Not Land

Set him on a sideboard with a few small gourds and Indian corn, or let him stand at the end of a mantel lined with pumpkins. He works on a bookcase in a farmhouse kitchen just as well. Bring him out when the first leaves turn and leave him up through the last slice of pie.

Bringing In the Harvest

• A Rochard piece, hand-painted in Limoges, France
• Anchors a harvest, Halloween or Thanksgiving grouping
• Pairs with pumpkins, apple baskets and autumn leaves

Porcelain has been made in Limoges since the late 1700s, when fine white kaolin clay turned up near Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, and that same tradition shaped this cheerful scarecrow.