Beautiful, Spare, Two Compartment 19th Century Book Shaped Box Carved From One Piece of Wood chopper surely symbolic of a certain

surely symbolic of a certain patriotism

with a fantastic patina from years of use

and I believe it is the spirit of the deceased shown fluttering over the head of the figure on the right vessel

And with many years of use manifesting in a very rich patina

Beautiful, Spare, Two Compartment 19th Century Book Shaped Box Carved From One Piece of Wood chopper surely symbolic of a certainA beautiful, carefully carved antique book shaped box, the quiet loveliness of which photos don't quite capture. I wish I were better at identifying woods the wood in this case a dense, straight grained hardwood of quite a beautiful ashy light brown gray. And a bit unusual opening via a flat, perfectly fitted slide lid on one side, which almost disappears when closed. With two slightly different sized interior compartments. All carved out from one