Antique Carved Burl Wood Bird, Presumed Native American Woodlands, Ex. Axtell Collection brass key Rust as evident but very

Rust as evident but very sound and not actively flaking/shedding at all

just inside

both men wear crosses on their labels

but this early Valentine

Antique Carved Burl Wood Bird, Presumed Native American Woodlands, Ex. Axtell Collection brass key Rust as evident but veryA bit of a mystery, this bird, but such a beautiful thing, which came from the collection of "Smitty" Axtell, who was a great lover of carved treen objects. Carved of burl wood I believe, it feels to me Native American, bearing a strong resemblance to birds carved on effigy pipes and ladles, but I don't know for certain, and the reason for the holes carved down the back and up the belly is unknown, though it would seem likely it functioned as a tool