Chinese Brass Matchbox Holder with Dog barrel boxes were once displayed as wall

were once displayed as wall ornaments: I carefully peeled some old adhesive off of their backs

Such a great box

and then this field of pin-prick like marks outlining the year of its making

presumed early 20th century

I love its staight-foward elegance and wonderful patina

Chinese Brass Matchbox Holder with Dog barrel boxes were once displayed as wallWhile 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