Antique Wooden Erzgebirge Noah's Ark with Two Guardians matchstick bank or an orchid

or an orchid

perhaps sinew thread

really only visible at a certain angle

or some other sort of powdery white pigment

Antique Wooden Erzgebirge Noah's Ark with Two Guardians matchstick bank or an orchidI am certain this old Noah's Ark is German, as it is so similar in form and manner to antique Erzgebirge examples, most of which one finds painted, but not always. It does appear that the roof (and maybe more) on this one might once have been papered, as there is a scalloped bit still hanging on at one end on one side. It is definitely an old one, late 19th very early 20th century I believe, with a roof that flips open and latches closed, for storing