19th C. Spencerian Calligraphic Ink Drawn Fish inuit bone carving I purchased the piece at

I purchased the piece at an wonderful estate sale that included a number of fine woven textiles as well as an eclectic collection of notable modern and contemporary art and design objects from around the world

Very good vintage condition and ready to hang on the wall

often commanding many hundreds of dollars

but have since learned there is a long history of vessels like this--the earliest example British and dating back to the 1300s--with holes around the lip

19th C. Spencerian Calligraphic Ink Drawn Fish inuit bone carving I purchased the piece atOne sees Spencerian calligraphic drawings of deer and birds, especially, around, but rarer to come across a fish, and while this one shows a couple of tears along the bottom edge (which I've mended from the reverse with transparent archival tape), it strikes me as a perfect thing for a fisher person as well, of course, as for a lover of antique calligraphy, as I am. I really love the face on it too, looking a bit smug and self satisfied, perhaps too