Little Church: Great Old Gold Painted Architectural Ball in Cage Whimsy with Cross folk art log cabin " by the French naturalist

" by the French naturalist Pierre Denys de Montfort (1766-1820) with the plates drawn and engraved by the author himself

And then wonderful patches of very old darning scattered all over

and about the times more broadly

using the ruler and straight edge as guide then lifting/rolling it to avoid any smearing

Little Church: Great Old Gold Painted Architectural Ball in Cage Whimsy with Cross folk art log cabin " by the French naturalistI was excited to find this one in southern Maine this past week. I've had a few ball in cage whimsies carved in this sort of pitched "roof" manner, like a little house, but never one with a cross rising from the roof, making it a little church. And perfectly painted in a now nicely mellowed gold. Excellent. 5 5 16" t x 1 1 2" x 1 1 8". Excellent condition. Earlyish 20th century I believe.