Coming and Going: Old Double Handled Door Piece diamond pips Handmade boxes with surprise carved

Handmade boxes with surprise carved snakes inside seem to have become a thing right around 1900

I would guess it indeed dates to the mid to late 19th century

I'd like to think this sweet little carved locked was made as a wedding or anniversary gift - a token of love and commitment that would endure for many years to come

but haven't seen many done in a single color like this

New York and printed by The New York Lithographing Co

Coming and Going: Old Double Handled Door Piece diamond pips Handmade boxes with surprise carvedOne more found object for the week, which I find hugely satisfying for some reason, I think as a wonderfully succinct distillation of ideas of coming and going and crossing thresholds, with a spring stretching down one side of it for some added tension! The turned nobs themselves are beautiful too, one extending further than the other as if gesturing forward (or backward) with extra determination. I would hang this on the wall just as I've documented