Friday 16 September 2016

The top picture is of an Ipomia plant ( the Morning Glory) which has been flowering profusely this year. The flowers are between four, and five and a half inches, across. The higher flowers tend to be the larger. This plant, in my experience, only comes to full flower in hot, dry summers, but in a good year, is very well worth the trouble. The second picture is, of course, of our old friend the goldfinch. The third picture is a long overdue MYSTERY OBJECT. What is it?(this is the easy part), where and when was it made?; and (this is the hard bit) of what was it made? It's nice to be blogging again (If I am blogging - not over confident about the matter, you notice). Good guessing.

6 comments:

mags said...

Lovely pics, well done x M & J

Crowbard said...

This appears to be an early spectacle case Mike. The carriage appears to be Spanish. (In 1631 the Infanta Maria Anna of Spain traveled to Carinthia in a small coach that seated only two people inside.) The two horses, the high, forward driver’s seat, the footman behind and the guard (or possibly brake-man) atop the vehicle along with the page-cum-postilion-cum-trumpeter all suggest the occupant to be at least noble and probably royal. I’m not at all sure of the purpose of the other two figures, the child floating above the crupper of the horse may be riding pillion but I wouldn’t want to be in the position of the bloke between the shafts behind the horses.
The material looks to be lacquered leather or wood with possibly a brass hinge with iron nails/rivets.

Rog said...

It's a fabulous thing. Could it be Amber?
Welcome back Mike - now what about Scrabble?

kippy said...

Cinnabar, Chinese circa 1769-1825, snuff box ornamentation are my guesses

Unknown said...

Thank you Crowbard, Rog, andKippy. None of you got what it's made from, which is coquilla nut, which is claimed to be the hardest know vegetable material. Carved in France about the latter part of the date Skippy suggests.
Rog, will try and get back to scrabble.

Unknown said...

P.s. I really think Skippy got nearest to it, in that it is as he says, a snuff box, and his date is about right.