I've long been marveling at wooden whimsy chains carved from one piece of wood, but since discovering the world of winders in bottles--also called "Niddy Noddies"--I'm even more astounded! I found this one at Brimfield and have looked at a lot since--and while there are some more elaborate, I really love the elegance of this one, with its four posted winder standing upright, squarely wrapped in what was once I imagine bright red, white and blue silk thread (now pink, white, and very pale blue), and very nicely carved wooden stopper at top. Based on others I have looked at, I am pretty sure both the bottle (a colorless blown glass apothecary bottle, I believe, with a fair number of tiny bubbles in the glass) and the whimsy date to the late 19th century or so.
This piece is in excellent condition (perhaps there is a bit of dust on the inside, but otherwise the only flaws are original to the piece) and measures 6 1/2" tall x 1 7/8" wide and deep. Quite a wonderful thing to have and to hold!
