I don't know what this is, where it comes from, who made it or when it was made. I love this piece and anything you can tell me about it would be much appreciated.
This is a small wood box (does not open) which appears to be a toy -- perhaps a jack-in-the-box.
On the center of the front surface is a circular face with white (plastic) eyes and an open mouth. It appears to be angry or scared. On either side of the face and beneath it, are oval holes in which black arms and legs stick out.
There is a small wooden handle on the next side of the box, and when turned, the arms and legs stretch in-and-out, in a "rowing" motion. As you can see by photo #1, there are tiny holes in the hands. Small enough that you can stick the tip of a toothpick in them. I believe at some point, there WERE objects in these hands, perhaps oars.
At the top of the box, in the center, there is a small raised wooden circle, 1 1/2" in diameter (photo 5). It is engraved with perfect concentric circles from tip to edge. When the handle is turned, while the arms and legs are stretching in and out, the head and neck of a man, painted black, rises out of the hole on top; the raised wooden circle now appearing to be a hat (photos 1, 2, 3). This man has two white eyes (one is missing), a red frowning mouth, and two holes for a nose.
When the handle is turned over and over and the object is in motion, the black arms and legs appear to belong to the black faced character, whose head rises in and out of the top in rhythm with the limbs (as opposed to the center circular face character, who just stares out at you but doesn't move).
I've always considered this a piece of Black Memorabilia, perhaps dating back to the days of slavery, in that the toy looks very old -- as do the tiny nails that secure its surfaces -- the figure who is rowing appears to be black (and working hard), and neither face looks too happy.
When showing this to friends, I've been told it's probably a piece of Outsider Art, Folk Art, or Naive Art. I guess it could be any one of these, but unfortunately it's unsigned and undated.
This piece is in very good condition, and if there's a fire or earthquake, it's the first thing I'll save. If you know anything about it, I'd love to hear from you.
Thanks for your help.
