Love-ly Antique Paper Lace Valentine old wooden pull toy One finds hand-colored printed rewards

One finds hand-colored printed rewards of merits more frequently

giving this piece a striking elegance in addition to its quintessential MCM-ness

making me think as much of folk art carved miniature books and bibles than as anything (including for the fact that the slab at his back is carved like a book as well) but I’m really not sure of its origins

with three different concave areas that feel as if custom shaped in order to accommodate the tight squeeze of a hand (mine quite exactly

Love-ly Antique Paper Lace Valentine old wooden pull toy One finds hand-colored printed rewardsI look at a whole lot of antique valentines, including many incorporating paper lace and die cuts, though it's really a rare one of the latter sort that wins me (usually too much fussiness clutter) but this is one of the rare ones. Just lovely. And I do believe it's always the right time for a valentine. With golden cut paper heart and hand colored (watercolored it looks to me) LOVE giving rise to an angel with butterfly wings emerging from the center