Love Birds in Basket with Flowering Vines, 1804 Watercolor in Antique Lemon Gold Frame carved wooden spiked comb and about 1/4 of an

and about 1/4 of an inch thick

and a pig…) but always with a very particular look and a definite homeliness that makes them very endearing—and  of course I’ve come to feel the more wounded and distinctive the better

Box measures 3 3/4" x 3 3/4" x 1 1/4"

who over the course of the 32 cards encounters a cast of characters from  pig to cat to spider to baby

and there are a few small pieces of mother of pearl still inlaid as well—all adhered to a solid wood panel

Love Birds in Basket with Flowering Vines, 1804 Watercolor in Antique Lemon Gold Frame carved wooden spiked comb and about 1/4 of anThe back of this charming watercolor is dated, in graphite, 1804 which of course I forgot to photograph when I had it out of the frame, but it is easy to open and see. A sign of spring arriving 222 years ago! I can't resist a watercolor like this, and love the way both the straw of the nest and the weave of the rich yellow basket were invested with a great deal of attention. And then these love birds themselves, full of life and also quite relatable,