There are things the beauty and poetry of which one feels deep in one's gut (or maybe that's the soul?!)--this is very much one of those for me. A box that is not a box, custom carved long ago to carry a ruler/straight edge on one side and a drafting compass on the other, with carved out recesses into which each would surely have perfectly fit, and then two thinly woven straps stretched all the way around to hold them in place. I am not sure that I could envisage a purer embodiment of the verb "to hold" than this. (And it embodies "to carry" pretty well too.) A very beautiful gesture of an object.
13 5/8" x 1 7/8" x 7/8". Very good antique condition, much better than photos--my camera picks up too much of the undertones in wood. Super rich patina to the dry pine. Third quarter 19th century I would guess.
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