Chinese Brass Matchbox Holder with Dog antique whetstone but focus on the dark

but focus on the dark brown and a repeating animal motif reveals itself

though I will take their description of it as a German penny toy dating to the 1910s-20s

In well loved  condition

but overall the box

Chinese Brass Matchbox Holder with Dog antique whetstone but focus on the darkWhile one would expect it to be a Foo Dog that would appear on the top of a Chinese match box holder, it seems there were a whole series of these made for export in the earlyish 20th century featuring an array of different dogs as well as other animals. This little dog has floppy ears and a very sweet if a bit sad looking face, and appears to be studying the engraved decoration around the edges of the matchbox holder upon which he sits! The flip side