Boxless Box, Elemental and Poetic Antique Carved Out Holder for Straight Edge and Compass Scandinavian ceramics the linen is worn thin

the linen is worn thin in places and one of the feet has become partially undone

with hide drum and red painted frame

it remains a sweet and lovely thing

but holding together pretty well and inside pages are generally in very good shape

Boxless Box, Elemental and Poetic Antique Carved Out Holder for Straight Edge and Compass Scandinavian ceramics the linen is worn thinThere are things the beauty and poetry of which one feels deep in one's gut (or maybe that's the soul?!) this is very much one of those for me. A box that is not a box, custom carved long ago to carry a ruler straight edge on one side and a drafting compass on the other, with carved out recesses into which each would surely have perfectly fit, and then two thinly woven straps stretched all the way around to hold them in place. I am not sure that I