Antique Cast Iron Figural Shutter Dog wood splitting man with some shot marks on

with some shot marks on the top of the back

I believe specifically Danish

No holes or notable stains on the sampler and no losses that I can see

I've looked at some old cap guns and think it is likely a Scout Single Shot Cap Gun by Stevens dating to 1890--the profile and the patterning on the handle are a match

it is somewhat clearer in person)

Antique Cast Iron Figural Shutter Dog wood splitting man with some shot marks onI didnt actually know what this was when I found it in Maine the other daybut of course I fall in love with things all the time whose original function is a mystery to me! Ive since learned, though, that it is a Shutter dog made to hold a shutter open (dog being an Old English term for fastener). This one, later 19th c. French I believe, functions like a hingethe top half can be locked in place at a 90 degree angle, which would be the shutter pinning