Antique Carved Burl Wood Bird, Presumed Native American Woodlands, Ex. Axtell Collection brass key Rust as evident but very

Rust as evident but very sound and not actively flaking/shedding at all

5 5/8" in diameter x 5 5/8" tall

but this early Valentine

that one was housed in its original wooden crate

just inside

Antique Carved Burl Wood Bird, Presumed Native American Woodlands, Ex. Axtell Collection brass key Rust as evident but veryA bit of a mystery, this bird, but such a beautiful thing, which came from the collection of "Smitty" Axtell, who was a great lover of carved treen objects. Carved of burl wood I believe, it feels to me Native American, bearing a strong resemblance to birds carved on effigy pipes and ladles, but I don't know for certain, and the reason for the holes carved down the back and up the belly is unknown, though it would seem likely it functioned as a tool