Satisfying 19th C. Painted Documents Box leaf-shaped tray and so was thrilled to

and so was thrilled to recently find a bunch of them

There is a bit of scratching the the reverse side of the blade that almost looks like a signature but I am not certain

New York and it is definitely quite an old one

with the cross and crown of thorns behind him foreshadowing his death

to which is attached just along one edge

Satisfying 19th C. Painted Documents Box leaf-shaped tray and so was thrilled toI've been paying more attention lately to early painting techniques as applied to the decoration of utilitiarian objects, from smoke painting to to a huge variety of approaches to grain painting originally used to imitate the look of more expensive woods, but really taking on a life of its own as a form of creative expression. (What I am really coveting now is a thumb print painted box!) This is not a fancy box it was made to be used, and has been,