A pair of salt workers in ceremonial attire, with heads and hands made of lacquered wood; their costumes are composed of small, finely assembled seashells (some missing, signs of mold). Salt worker’s craft, 19th century. Height: 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 boom until 1880 and also helped spread the image and folk traditions of this community far beyond its borders.