Looking Out, Charming c. 1880s Mother of Pearl Seashell Folk Art Carving circus carousel unusual for its solid black

unusual for its solid black ground

This one has a blank circle at the center of one side where the monogram would be carved (and still could be

Another example of an Inuit carving that exhibits dual natures even while assuming the most pared down of forms

Plus original instructions

I especially love the layering of cloth on the spools to create soft surfaces to hold the pins

Looking Out, Charming c. 1880s Mother of Pearl Seashell Folk Art Carving circus carousel unusual for its solid blackI'm sure I've seen them on occasion, but I'd never really looked at a folk art mother of pearl shell carving of this sort before and really what an amazing thing, all done by hand, quite a feat of labor and patience! Perhaps not surprisingly, fisherman were the most common subjects depicted on these, typically shown holding a net and facing away from the sea (toward the viewer), as if coming to shore in at the end of the day. But this much better this