Antique Black and Gold Painted Lock Shaped Ball in Cage Carved Whimsy 1950s Japanese toy and deeply true

and deeply true

but I don't think I've seen another I like quite as much as this one

I'd guess all three date to 1900 or so

mottled sky blue on the exterior and aqua on the interior--a striking combination

though it is a miniature watercolor

Antique Black and Gold Painted Lock Shaped Ball in Cage Carved Whimsy 1950s Japanese toy and deeply trueA great old one, and an unusual one for the old black and mellow gold paint on it, with painted designs, including several X's, giving it a bit of a mystical feel, as if it once dangled at the end of a chain used in secret ceremonies who knows?! Nicely carved with a very round ball in the cage and a great old alligatored surface now. Good for hanging from a nail on the wall, setting somewhere, or wearing around one's neck as a dramatic pendant! 5 3 8"