Very Expressive Folk Art Polychromed Carved Wood Seagull vintage black and white print notable for the painted tips

notable for the painted tips of their handles

much of it which would be fairly easy to clean up with a few stitches here and there to hold the loose threads underneath

or sometimes "persuader"--likely dates to the early 19th century

) I'd guess it might have been made as a card box (I believe two decks would fit inside)

Very Expressive Folk Art Polychromed Carved Wood Seagull vintage black and white print notable for the painted tipsThis wonderful seagull, carved of wood and polychromed, has a familiarity about it to me, as if done by an artist whose work I have seen somewhere but can't place. It's definitely not your average seagull, I really think done by someone known, and something tells me from Nova Scotia but that's just a hunch. The painterly white head with mossy green yellow tipped beak is just glorious, and I love the way it stands balanced on tail features with wire