Small altar featuring three figures; the heads and arms are made of lacquered wood, the bodies are made of fabric, and the costumes are composed of small, finely assembled seashells (missing pieces, damage, mold); the background is made of blue-tinted glass. Work of a salt worker, 19th century. Height of the altar: 24 cm Note: First appearing in Batz-sur-Mer in the late 17th century to adorn church altars with floral arrangements, this craft of creating shell figurines depicting salt workers gradually lost its religious function and became purely decorative around 1820. It actively contributed to the region’s economic growth until 1880 and also helped spread the image and folk traditions of this community far beyond its borders.