Beautifully Carved Antique Hanging Ball in Cage Whimsy (Letter Opener?) black and white painte with these giant cat-like blue

with these giant cat-like blue eyes

with just a bit of roughness along one portion of the bottom edge of the box (pictured in photos

we need all the postal boxes we can get

then hand-painted (there are remnants of one hand as well

which I am pretty certain stands for 1994

Beautifully Carved Antique Hanging Ball in Cage Whimsy (Letter Opener?) black and white painte with these giant cat-like blueI've just listed a bunch of whimsies all from one source; this one is different. I found it in New Hampshire and believe it walnut, super finely done and I believe antique. It's a bit of a curious one, too, with tapering end, which suggests use as a letter opener or page turner? And a hanging loop at the other end, which I suppose would allow one to hang it around one's neck, though I'd likely hang it from a nail on the wall instead. Really lovely. 9