Heart Shaped Limoges Box in Blue Stripes by Rochard

Crisp blue stripes follow the curves of a heart on this Rochard box, a clean and cheerful pattern that feels like summer linens and seaside cottages. Rochard shaped and painted it by hand in Limoges, France, as a porcelain Limoges box.

Stripes With a Soft Side

A heart outline is about as romantic as a shape gets, and the blue stripes keep it from tipping into sugary. The result works in a bedroom, a guest bath or a sunny breakfast room just as easily as it does on a Valentine's table. Each stripe is laid down by hand at the Rochard studio, so the spacing and tone vary a little from box to box.

Blue and White Company

• A Rochard heart, hand-painted in Limoges, France
• Joins a heart collection or a blue and white china shelf
• Looks at home beside nautical and coastal cottage pieces

Tokens for the Heart

Give it on an anniversary, slip it into a Valentine's Day surprise, or mark a wedding with a small piece that will stay on the dresser for years. Set on a vanity tray it can cradle a pair of earrings or a ring overnight, and on a bookshelf it adds a bright note of blue among darker spines. Collectors who build heart groupings often look for patterns as well as solid colors, and this striped design fills that gap nicely.