Double Ball in Cage Whimsy with Chain Links Chinese porcelain cricket box Light wear to the nap

Light wear to the nap of the velvet

handwritten in capital serif lettering

finely done and lovelier in person

marked with sixteenths of an inch

With wonderful modeling and detailing of the hair

Double Ball in Cage Whimsy with Chain Links Chinese porcelain cricket box Light wear to the napThis is one of three old carved wooden whimsies I purchased together from a dealer in New Hampshire, all listed today, and I think quite likely all done by the same person. What I especially like about this one is the arches at the top and bottom of each side of the "cage," lending it a certain grace, and the scale of the carved balls in relation to that cage, such that they've got lots of room to roll around. With two carved chain links extending