Curious Bread Shaped Carved Soapstone Slab (Warming Stone for Toasty Toast?) iron snake or maybe stick into to

or maybe stick into to the neck of a bottle or vase like a flower

the painting is not mounted to a backing sheet

with some fabric bunched up in it too

I would guess a long time ago

Made of very very soft wood

Curious Bread Shaped Carved Soapstone Slab (Warming Stone for Toasty Toast?) iron snake or maybe stick into toI found this at an antiques show in New Hampshire neither the dealer nor I had seen another like it, and neither of us was certain of its purpose. With old scald marks on it, though, surely it was made for heating I personally like the idea that it was custom made for keeping the buttered toast (or grilled cheese sandwich!) warm! (I also really like the embedded pun a toasty piece of toast!) Maybe more likely a pocket warmer for a large pocket or to