Handsome Old Carved Wooden Shorebird Emile Bluteau Sliding open the lid of

Sliding open the lid of this box to find it filled with these old bone gaming chips was

as one finds in many a portrait of well to do men

I found another of a very similar animal form in a very similar manner described as a fox (image included in photos)--that one 19th century and described as carved by a shaman for a hunter to carry as as a sort of amulet or charm

perched so close to her mouth it seems as if might be whispering sweet things to her

Handsome Old Carved Wooden Shorebird Emile Bluteau Sliding open the lid ofI found this old carved shorebird in New Hampshire this week and just thought it really beautiful. I'm not at all an expert on bird carvings, but I look at enough of them around these parts to notice when one stands out and feels special. It appears this one may once have one been painted, but most of that is gone now, with the rich brown of the wood body much of what makes it especially lovely to me. 13 3 8" t x 12 5 8" long measured on the square.