Incredible Pair of Ornate Antique Double Ball in Cage Whimsies, with Stand vintage Japanese planter with sort of a scalloping

with sort of a scalloping to the walls of the cage

and I can just imagine him trying to sell someone something with his cigarette all the while dangling from his mouth

plus terrific black and white text illustrations by W

which features a buffalo emerging from the side of the round shield in a manner so similar to this that I wonder if this plate was directly inspired by it

Finding this reminded me I need to get some more old clay marbles in stock

Incredible Pair of Ornate Antique Double Ball in Cage Whimsies, with Stand vintage Japanese planter with sort of a scallopingThese I do believe are just about the most spectacular whimsies I've seen, and certainly had in my possession. Each was carved from one piece of wood, with either two or three small balls inside of each ones two cagesthe taller with carved fists at either end, the shorter with crosshatched patterns that for some reason remind me of pineapples! Ornately detailed all over, they make me think of bons bons rolled in fancy paper and cinched with bows at