Shell artwork depicting a bouquet of flowers under an arch. Signed Silvestre SOUBIRAN. Work by a salt worker, 19th century. Height: 27.5 cm - Width: 33 cm Included: - an oval box also decorated with seashells; Length: 8 cm; - a pair of bouquets adorned with seashells (numerous missing pieces) in Parisian porcelain vases. Crafted by a salt worker, 19th century. H: 36 cm Note: First appearing in Batz-sur-Mer in the late 17th century to adorn church altars with floral bouquets, 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.