Eight Sided 19th Century Treen Teetotem tempera painting this baby's piecing blue eyes

this baby's piecing blue eyes seem as if they are seeing into your soul as they follow you around the room

the caption is simply Vologne (in those beautiful block letters) and the title of the opera is handwritten at upper left

I've had a few mid 19th century papered boxes of this sort

Painted with a big mossy green horseshoe on each side--I might guess by using the actual horseshoes as templates

Eight Sided 19th Century Treen Teetotem tempera painting this baby's piecing blue eyesI've had a couple of these carved of bone, but this is the first treen (hardwood) example I've found, British I presume, and I believe earlier than later 1800s. My photos aren't great, but it a lovely thing, with black inked numbers in each side, written in just the same manner as on early 19th century bone ones, so I do believe of that age. Used in the 18th and 19th century for games including "Put and Take," and often as substitutes for dice