Antique Carved Burl Wood Bird, Presumed Native American Woodlands, Ex. Axtell Collection woman doll in pink dress it's right up my alley

it's right up my alley

I've come to keep an eye out for old bee boxes

This drawing is completely up my alley--cheerful but also a bit moody

to be hung with the bowls or tines above the slots

but it finally showed up on a 90 degree day

Antique Carved Burl Wood Bird, Presumed Native American Woodlands, Ex. Axtell Collection woman doll in pink dress it's right up my alleyA bit of a mystery, this bird, but such a beautiful thing, which came from the collection of "Smitty" Axtell, who was a great lover of carved treen objects. Carved of burl wood I believe, it feels to me Native American, bearing a strong resemblance to birds carved on effigy pipes and ladles, but I don't know for certain, and the reason for the holes carved down the back and up the belly is unknown, though it would seem likely it functioned as a tool