Bretagne—or “Brittany” as it’s called in English—is a little spit of land that juts off of France’s Northwest coast, into the English Channel, due south of England. It has a history of being invaded, occupied, and influenced by the various tribes and empires that came along: the Celts, the Romans, the Britons, and the Gauls. Evidence exists, even to this day, of these various influences on Brittany’s culture. A version of Celtic language is still spoken by some in the region. Some of the most famous towns and villages in the province are Rennes, Nantes, Quimper, Brest, and Cancale (whose “oyster gatherers” are beautifully captured by one of my all-time favorite painters, a 22 year old John Singer Sargent—it’s worth “a look-up”).
The box above, made in the province in the 1920’s or 1930’s, is part of a new collection of boxes, now in-store. Please click on the photo to learn more about this one or come into the shop to see the others.