Cooper Barrel Maker at Work Limoges Box
A cooper at work building a wooden barrel is the subject of this porcelain scene, a tribute to one of the oldest trades in Europe. The piece is a hand-painted Limoges box from Limoges, France, honoring one craft with another.
Hoops, Staves and Steady Hands
Coopers shaped the barrels that carried wine, cider and grain for centuries, and in French wine country their skill is still prized. A barrel maker is an unusual subject for a Limoges box, which makes this piece stand out in any collection of trades and professions. Each figure is painted by hand, so details shift slightly from one box to the next.
Old Trades, Old Kilns
Like coopering, porcelain making in Limoges is a long-standing craft: production there began in the late 1700s after kaolin, a fine white clay, was found near Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche in 1768. Give this piece to a winemaker, a brewer, a woodworker, or anyone who appreciates a trade done by hand. It suits a cellar shelf, a tasting room or a workshop office.
Workshop Company
- Hand-painted porcelain from Limoges, France
- Fits a trades, wine or old crafts grouping
- Pairs with wine crate, grape cluster and carpenter pieces