Yellow Cat Vintage Folk Art Match Holder (Roughness to to Bottom Edge) handmade cradle dating to the 1930s or

dating to the 1930s or so and marked made in Russian on the underside of the base

Great horse

Everything is covered with a layer of varnish or shellac

with an E holding a whip chasing a woman would be "Elixir" [E licks her

but never one from the 18th century

Yellow Cat Vintage Folk Art Match Holder (Roughness to to Bottom Edge) handmade cradle dating to the 1930s orCat faced hanging match boxes were once very much a thing, and like yard art animals and figures, all embody variations on a theme, reflective of the particular skills and sensibilities of their makers. I've never gone for one before, but the combination of bright yellow paint, long black eye lashes and whiskers, and square cornered nose and mouth on this one just won me, making it look rather startled and a bit less than friendly! There is some loss