Bouquet of flowers, with petals made of polychrome seashells and leaves made of paper, in a Parisian porcelain vase decorated with flowers and gilded comb patterns on a white and blue background (mold). Work by a salt worker, 19th century. Displayed under a glass dome on a molded, blackened wooden base. Height: 56 cm - Width: 43 cm Note: Originating 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.