Limoges Porcelain Boxes > Le Petit Prince

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NOTE: This series of boxes, Le Petit Prince, a limited edition, is about to be completed and final orders are being taken only until May 30, 2003. After that the only boxes available in the series will be whatever we have left in stock. If you are interested, please place your order immediately because they may run out of numbers before May 30.

Limoges Porcelain Boxes

Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

It is interesting how a book that appeared to be written for children actually turned out to be an analogy dealing with world problems that were occurring at the time of the writing of it. Moreover, the ideas expressed, using these apparently simple characters, were really very complex and way beyond anything that could possibly have been understood by a child. And yet, children loved the book and it was only in retrospect that the real messages of the book became apparent. It has since been analyzed and reanalyzed repeatedly by scholars and students of philosophy. In fact, it has become a cult classic and there are entire sites on the Internet that are devoted to the analysis of this book that remains a children's classic to this day. As I think about it, it can best be compared to a layer cake. There are layer after layer of meanings and possible meanings to this book depending upon who the reader is.

These boxes were designed and produced by Artoria under a licensing agreement with the Estate of the author and are a limited edition of 1000 pieces world-wide. All pieces are numbered and signed. The pieces shown here are all numbered as a group. We have two complete sets, one set numbered 14 and one set numbered 15. I will try to hold #14 as a set for as long as I can.

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A. Le Petit Prince, The Book. An exact reproduction of the cover of the actual book, The Little Prince is shown standing on his home Asteroid B-612. In the background, stars and planets. Inside the book, stars and planets and, "No grown-up will ever understand." painted. Retail: About $131.00. Our price: $119.90.

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B. The Little Prince Box. In the story The Pilot draws things so The Prince may better understand things with which he is unfamiliar. The Pilot writes, inside the box, "This is the best portrait that, later, I was able to make of him." The clasp is a star. The figure and the face of The Little Prince are exactly like that in the book. Retail: About $237.00. Our price: $213.90. NEW

C. The Pilot's First Drawing, The Snake Box. The Pilot drew a boa constrictor which had eaten an elephant. Those who were shown the drawing thought it was a hat. "Only a person of true understanding" saw The Snake. The elephant is dimensional and removable. The clasp is a very tiny flower. Inside the box, "Grown-ups never understand anything." Retail: About $131.00. Our price: $119.90.

D. The Box and The Sheep. The Little Prince asked The Pilot to draw him a picture of a sheep. The Pilot draws a box and a sheep inside of it. "Only a person of true understanding" sees The Sheep.The sheep is dimensional and removable. The box appears as a wooden box and has air holes on the front of it. The clasp is a very tiny flower. Retail: About $167.00. Our price: $150.90. NEW

E. The King Box. The Prince meets the King of a neighboring asteroid who labors under the delusion that he rules the world. He doesn't, of course, and a lesson is learned by The Prince, "The importance of free will." Inside the box, "I rule over everything." painted, and a crown which is dimensional and removable. Retail: About $239.00. Our Price. $215.90. NEW

Elayne's recommended reading: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Biographical Note: Saint-Exupéry, a Frenchman, was a writer and a pilot and was lost when his plane did not return from a mission during the Second World War.

For those of you who are lovers of Le Petit Prince we are presenting
something rather unique for your reading pleasure. This is a new chapter,an
addenda to The Little Prince, written by Elise, a customer of ours, who is
writing a book about Antoine Saint Exupery. It was written for, and entered
in, a contest sponsored by the French Embassy in New York City. It was the
winning chapter.

Elise lives on Long Island in New York and is currently researching Saint
Exupery's life for the years in which he was resident of a town on Long
Island. In my relatively brief conversations with Elise I have learned
something new. I was not aware that Saint Exupery was ever a resident of
the United States but--he was, and, in fact, lived in the area in which
Elise lives. Our Le Petit Prince boxes will be appearing in her book.

"The Little Prince and the Peahen"
It happened one day that the Little Prince's travels led him to a small
planet occupied by two exotic birds, a pair of peacocks. The larger of the
two birds, the male, was particularly magnificent. He had an enormous fan of
greenish-blue feathers, which trailed behind him and swept the ground as he
walked. The peacock spent his day marching up and down a small path that
traced the circumference of the small planet that was his home. He held his
head very high, as if balancing the weight of a tremendous secret. The
parading peacock reminded the Little Prince of a majestic but vain rooster.
And like a rooster, the peacock was supreme in his domain, which was in this
case a small planet, rather than a barnyard.

Trailing behind the great bird always was a smaller peahen, who was rather
plain in appearance in comparison to her regal companion. As the flamboyant
peacock strutted along the path, according to his own rhythm, he often
failed to notice that the smaller bird lagged behind and failed to keep up
the pace.

"How self-important this peacock is, " thought the Little Prince. "How very
frivolous! It is as if he thinks he is a great sun, surrounded by a universe
of lesser stars! But what of this smaller bird?"

One day the Little Prince stopped the fragile-looking peahen as she followed
her partner on his journey around the planet. At first the timid peahen
spoke so quietly that the Little Prince could barely hear her, but her words
resonated with the soft bell-like tones of a fine music box.

"My name is Séverine. I have not spoken to anyone for so long! For years I
have walked in the shadow of my friend. It is a beautiful shadow, that is
true, like the shadow of a rainbow, but it is a shadow none the less."

The peahen continued, in a hushed tone. " Life rushes at us all at once! It
is like a tapestry, woven of luminous thread! Each strand is so beautiful in
its own right, but together it burns so brightly that I can hardly look at
it! It scares me!"

At that moment, the eyes of the Little Prince and Séverine were drawn to a
spider web, covered with raindrops, which glistened like a thousand silvery
pools.

"Séverine, each moment has its poetry, if we allow ourselves to savor it.
The simplest truths can be easily lost or overlooked as time races into each
awaiting moment," observed the Little Prince. "We must be careful not to do
that."

"Séverine," the Little Prince continued, "Let us use our time to enjoy this
web, this tapestry together, but one gossamer thread at a time."

The Little Prince led Séverine to a special rock, from which they could see
the great oceans that graced most of the surface of the distant planet we
call earth.

"Listen to the ocean moan and sigh, Séverine! It is like holding the most
exquisite seashell to your ear! These distant whispers are so beautiful.
Each day I watch the tides rise and then fall once again. And as if with a
great leap of faith, each day this pattern repeats itself, in a perpetual
tug of war, an unending homage of the sea to the whims of the moon!

The peahen nodded in agreement. It was time for silence. Together the two
watched the unrelenting ballet of the waves, until day faded into the
softest of nights, and stars, like blossoms of light, danced and twinkled
against a backdrop of darkness.

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