Finely Carved Antique Double Ball in Cage Architectural Standing Whimsy carved vessel carved of bone

carved of bone

with no bends or dings at all

with a furrow on the back side that runs horizontally from it

A little digging reveals that "Fireside Studios"--the maker of these "practice boards--was a division of Fireside Industries

Finely Carved Antique Double Ball in Cage Architectural Standing Whimsy carved vessel carved of boneVery rare that I come across a whimsy as fancy and skillfully carved as this one, which I know was found in Minneapolis, but which I might guess, based on the manner of hard wood and manner of carving is British, though I don't know for sure. Whatever the case, 19th century I do believe, and quite finely done, all from one piece of wood, with two perfectly round balls in thin walled cages, the top one stepping back a bit from the one below, and two