Old Iron Hand-shaped (Presumed) Branding Iron pair of stone fruit pears and the blue is super

and the blue is super saturated and super crisp

9" x 12" gouache on board

The drawing measures 12 1/4" x 8 3/8" and is in good condition

for bagels and lox

Old Iron Hand-shaped (Presumed) Branding Iron pair of stone fruit pears and the blue is superI can't figure out anything this could be other than a branding iron; there are gaps at either side where the hand meets the handle that make it seem unlikely that it would work as a mold or cutter of some sort. Assuming the former, I'd guess that the arm once fit inside some sort of extension, so that when hot it would not burn one's hand when using. It appears to me that it was hand forged, and is quite old (and heavy, weighing almost 2 pounds) and