A set of ten figures, one with a porcelain head and the others with heads and limbs made of lacquered wood; the costumes are made of small, finely assembled seashells (in poor condition; bases detached; mold). Salt worker’s craft, 19th century. Height: 10 to 26 cm Note: First appearing in Batz-sur-Mer in the late 17th century to adorn church altars with floral arrangements, this craft of 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.