Carved, Signed Antler Mushroom! chop and by the Ming Dynasty

and by the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) had become one of its most appreciated art forms

the bird/butterfly at the center of the smaller

with royalty and high-ranking officials considering it fashionable to wear carved fruit pit accessories

Photos do not do justice to the gorgeous warm sheen on this antique splint basket

and its size

Carved, Signed Antler Mushroom! chop and by the Ming DynastyThis mushroom! When I first spotted it, I thought it was ceramic, but closer inspection reveals it is definitely bone, and I am pretty certain antler, most likely Caribou I think. I really love it as an object exactly the scale of a real mushroom, and just what it is, beautifully executed, no fuss. I've found a few other carved antler mushrooms, almost all Canadian (morels carved from deer antler seem to be a bit of a thing), but none as lovely as