Lovely 19th C. Treen Barrel Shaped Box walnut framed slate with cut out letters

with cut out letters

clearly posed and poised to delight

which is pretty wonderful to see

so a liner would be needed if filling with water or soil

I wonder if these charming old barber's pole whimsies were carved by a barber in his spare time

Lovely 19th C. Treen Barrel Shaped Box walnut framed slate with cut out lettersJust a very lovely antique treen barrel shaped box, 19th c. British I believe and I'd guess made of boxwood. Perhaps it once held a glass bottle inside (perhaps for ink?) but I'm not entirely sure. Whatever the case, I've looked at quite a lot of treen containers and this is quite a nice example, with especially nice detailing on the lid. 2 7 8" t x 2" in diameter. Very good condition, no splits or chips or other issues; beautiful surface to the wood