Unusual Ball (on Pedestal) in Cage Antique Black Painted Carved Whimsy carved whimsy rattle (The tail and the ears

(The tail and the ears make me believe it is a bear

Maple Sugar-ing

the silver-plate polished right up

I find there is an appealing serenity to the painting

Unusual Ball (on Pedestal) in Cage Antique Black Painted Carved Whimsy carved whimsy rattle (The tail and the earsI've seen other whimsy "cages" with gothic sorts of spikes like this one, but I've never seen one where the ball sits on a pedestal inside of it, like a tee for a ball never to be hit! I believe this one likely dates to the late 19th early 20th c., and has definitely been knocked around a bit, with a few dings and paint loss around the sides, a small chip to one side of the "pedestal", and a little loss to what was surely once a sharp point at the