Yellow Cat Vintage Folk Art Match Holder (Roughness to to Bottom Edge) handmade cradle Everything is covered with a

Everything is covered with a layer of varnish or shellac

where what is a fairly long face front the front side is widened and flattened out in a way

Inside the inkwell is a brass insert lined with glass

but as a pretty fabulous folk art piece I think I'd more likely display it out of reach

dating to the 1930s or so and marked made in Russian on the underside of the base

Yellow Cat Vintage Folk Art Match Holder (Roughness to to Bottom Edge) handmade cradle Everything is covered with aCat faced hanging match boxes were once very much a thing, and like yard art animals and figures, all embody variations on a theme, reflective of the particular skills and sensibilities of their makers. I've never gone for one before, but the combination of bright yellow paint, long black eye lashes and whiskers, and square cornered nose and mouth on this one just won me, making it look rather startled and a bit less than friendly! There is some loss