Retired Limoges Box Shaped as an Open Mini Watermelon

Sliced open to show its juicy inside, this mini watermelon looks ready for a backyard cookout on the Fourth of July. The hand-painted porcelain box was made in Limoges, France, and this Limoges design has been retired.

Cut Open for Summer

Most fruit boxes show the outside, but this one invites a peek at the bright flesh of the melon. The painter had fun with the contrast between rind and fruit, and the result is pure summertime. It is hard to look at it without thinking of picnic tables and sticky fingers.

Slices of the Fruit Bowl

• A retired design, painted by hand on Limoges porcelain
• Shows beautifully next to its whole watermelon sibling
• Fits a fruit, summer or Fourth of July themed shelf

Sweet Spots for Display

Give it a place on a breakfast table, a beach cottage shelf or a kitchen windowsill where summer light comes through. It makes a cheerful present for a July birthday, a thank-you for the host of the neighborhood barbecue, or a pick-me-up for anyone counting the days until warm weather returns.

Pairing the open and whole versions side by side is a simple way to give a fruit shelf a little story.