19th Century Miniature Carved Boot Shaped Box landmanden leve Lots of wear and rusting

Lots of wear and rusting

The numbers/letters are carved/ incised

I've been thinking a lot about this phone--as singular object and symbol--since I found it a couple of weeks ago at a show in New Hampshire

With black stripes running through the amber glass (I want to call it tiger glass

One could wrap the edges around a stretcher

19th Century Miniature Carved Boot Shaped Box landmanden leve Lots of wear and rustingI took this for an antique carved snuff box boot, but when I got it home and opened it up, realized it was made as a trick box, with what looks to have been a snake inside that would pop its head up when one slid the lid open. Sadly, both ends of the snake were broken at some point; the remaining fragment remains, held by pins inside that attach to either side of the boot. Sad that it is lost, but a great little carved boot still, 19th c. and