SOLD Unusual, Finely Carved Old Whimsy Chain with Sliding Links blackened copper the incised stripes and fin

the incised stripes and fin details

one hand rubbing his beard

late 19th century or possibly very early 20th

difficult to know quite where one ends and another begins

but I'm a big fan of small dishes that can be used for serving this or that

SOLD Unusual, Finely Carved Old Whimsy Chain with Sliding Links blackened copper the incised stripes and finI've never seen another whimsy chain like this one (the making of which completely baffles me!), with the square on every other link sliding from one side of the link to the other horizontally. All carved from one piece of wood and quite finely done. I would guess early 20th century, with a nice dry wood patina; quite elegant and quite lovely. 20"long x 3 4" wide and deep. Very good condition, with no losses, splits or other issues whatsoever, and all