Early French Wooden Cabinet with Shell Arrangement and Porcelain Dolls

Live Auction

26" (66 cm.) cabinet. A wooden cabinet with arched roof and glass front, contains within an elaborate shell arrangement depicting a fountain surmounted by an archway and reached by stairs. Standing on either side of the fountain are a porcelain man and woman, each with painted facial features and hair, and each wearing an original Brittany folklore costume in elaborate detail. Excellent condition, the shell work was a tradition of the Brittany region of France throughout the 19th century and can occasionally be found incorporated into a presentation with dolls as this wearing traditional Brittany costumes; it is likely the elaborate piece was created to commemorate an important marriage of the region, circa 1865.