Antique Folk Art Hand-carved Snake in a Box! willis hitchinson Probably mid-20th century or so

Probably mid-20th century or so

and little bit of wiggle to the hinged lid

It's a little bit hard to read from the front (but what a great bunch of cross-outs at right

On reverse in pencil is a note describing the subject of the drawing as Miss Gaby Fabre and noting the names of her parents

such that one half of the loon is more of dark gray-green

Antique Folk Art Hand-carved Snake in a Box! willis hitchinson Probably mid-20th century or soHandmade boxes with surprise carved snakes inside seem to have become a thing right around 1900, which is about how old I'd guess this one is. Sadly, the slide top lid to this lovely grain painted wooden box is long gone, but a string attached to the snake inside does the trick for making him emerge! The snake itself is pretty terrific I think, with hand painted details (in ink I believe) and tiny nails for eyes, and a knot in the string can be used