Curiosity Cabinet Shell Sculptures

Hand-painted papier mâché treasures on antique pedestals

Step right up to the miniature maritime museum you never knew you needed. These shell sculptures, each one handcrafted in France, offers a poetic wink to the Age of Exploration, when natural wonders were prized like relics and displayed in the first Wunderkammers for guests to gasp over.

1. The Grand Nautilus
The showstopper. A voluptuous papier mâché nautilus shell, meticulously hand painted and perched on an antique bronze pedestal with all the trimmings. Its surface is finished with antique paper, giving it that “rescued from a 15th-century galleon chest” aura. (Dimensions: 36cm tall)

2. The Red Napoleon III Nautilus 
This hand-painted papier mâché nautilus sits elegantly atop a Napoleon III pedestal, giving off an air of Parisian attic-find sophistication. Also inspired by the Age of Exploration, it carries whispers of forgotten voyages and old-world collectors who arranged seashells like crown jewels. (Dimensions: 36cm tall)

3. The Bénitier Shell Sculpture 
A hand-painted papier mâché bénitier shell, set on its own antique bronze pedestal. Part prayer, part beachcomber fantasy, it feels like something a wandering naturalist might have presented to a queen—half devotional object, half seaside treasure. (Dimensions: 17cm tall)