Some travelers bring home postcards. Others bring home a tiny porcelain taxi. This collection gathers Limoges boxes inspired by journeys near and far, each a hand-painted porcelain box with a hinged lid, made in and around Limoges, France, and each a small passport to somewhere else.
Hop aboard a red double-decker bus in London, hail a yellow cab in New York, and slip into a Venetian masquerade. Clatter through the Dutch tulip fields in wooden shoes, raise a glass in an Irish pub, then head east to Mount Fuji and the Taj Mahal. For the adventurous, there's a safari truck, a magic carpet and an Egyptian sarcophagus with a mummy who seems perfectly content inside. And for anyone always packing, a well-traveled suitcase covered in tags.
These make thoughtful gifts to mark a honeymoon, a study abroad semester, a retirement trip or the place someone's family came from. Collectors often add one for every country they visit, which is a wonderful excuse to keep traveling.
Rochard Red Double Decker London Bus Limoges Box
Top deck, front seat: that is the only proper way to see London, according to eight-year-old Oliver. From up there you can wave at Big Ben, spot a corgi in Piccadilly and look straight into people's windows, which his mother says is rude. Oliver says it's simply sightseeing.
New York City Taxi Limoges Box
"Where to?" asks the driver, and before you can answer he's already off, weaving through Midtown, honking politely at a pretzel cart and narrating the best pizza on every block. You arrive two minutes early, slightly dizzy, with three restaurant recommendations and a new opinion about the Yankees.
Venice Masquerade Woman Porcelain Limoges Box
Nobody at the Carnival ball knew her name. She arrived by gondola, danced every waltz, and spoke only in riddles. At midnight the masks came off around the room, but when the guests turned to look for her, there was nothing left on the marble floor but a single silk ribbon.
Rochard Wooden Shoe Clog and Tulips Limoges Box
Clip, clop, clip, clop. Little Anneke can be heard coming from three fields away in her wooden shoes, which is exactly how she likes it. She is on her way to the market with tulips for her grandmother: red ones, yellow ones and one striped one she isn't quite ready to give up.
Rochard Mount Fuji Japan Porcelain Limoges Box
Grandfather Kenji climbs out of bed at four every morning, slides open the paper screen, and looks for the mountain. Some days the clouds hide it completely. Some days its snowy peak glows pink at sunrise. Either way he bows, pours his tea, and says good morning, old friend.
Taj Mahal Monument Rochard Limoges Box
At dawn the white domes turn the color of a peach, and by noon they gleam so brightly that visitors shade their eyes. A young couple sits by the long reflecting pool, saying nothing at all. Some places are built to be talked about. This one seems built for quiet.
Aladdin Riding a Magic Carpet Porcelain Limoges Box
The carpet has opinions. It refuses to fly before breakfast, swerves to avoid pigeons and absolutely will not land in puddles. Aladdin has learned to say please. Tonight, if he's lucky, it might agree to a slow loop over the palace domes while the city lights twinkle below.
Rochard African Safari Truck Limoges Box with Binoculars
The guide cuts the engine and points. Everyone grabs the binoculars at once. Out in the tall golden grass, a giraffe is calmly eating breakfast from the top of an acacia, and a family of zebras is pretending not to notice the truck. Nobody says a word. Somebody forgets to take a picture.
Rochard Egyptian Sarcophagus Limoges Box with Mummy
After a few thousand years of resting, the little mummy has grown rather fond of his painted case. It is snug, well decorated, and nobody asks him to do chores. When museum visitors lean in close he holds perfectly still, and only after closing does he sit up to stretch.
Suitcase with Travel Tags Porcelain Limoges Box
Every tag on this suitcase has a story. The one from Rome came with a lost umbrella. The one from Cairo came with a camel ride nobody had planned. The one from Lisbon is half torn off, from the night it rained. There's still room on the back for one more.
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