Cricket Playing Violin for Ant Porcelain Limoges Box

A cricket draws a bow across its violin while an ant stops work to listen. This hand-painted porcelain Limoges box, made in Limoges, France, turns the old fable of the cricket and the ant into a little concert.

A Serenade for the Hard Worker

In the classic fable, retold by La Fontaine, the carefree insect sings all summer while the ant gathers food for winter. Here the two seem to have struck a happier bargain, with music for the worker and an audience for the musician. Both figures are painted by hand, so their colors vary a little from box to box.

A Fabled Shelf Pairing

• Hand-painted porcelain from Limoges, France
• Fits a bug, garden critter or music themed collection
• Pairs with ladybug, butterfly and violin pieces

Applause From the Garden

This is a fine present for a violin teacher, a string player after a recital, or a literature fan who knows the fable by heart. It also suits a hardworking friend who deserves a little music in their day. Set it on a music stand shelf, a garden room windowsill or a bookshelf beside a volume of La Fontaine. Its story gives it a gentle wit that collectors return to again and again.